TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Refrigerators

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on small businesses of the requirement to take refrigerators to scrap yards after 1 January 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: These requirements are a policy matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment. However, officials in the Department have been assisting those in DEFRA to consult small businesses about this issue, and to consider the wider implications for small businesses as the policy is developed.
	DEFRA is currently assessing what financial assistance local authorities will require, in keeping with the new burdens procedure.

Conference on Nuclear Terrorism

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representatives her Department had at the International Atomic Energy Agency's conference on nuclear terrorism in Vienna; what recommendations for action by the United Kingdom Government were made at the conference; and what further discussions she intends to have with the IAEA in respect of security at civil nuclear installations.

Patricia Hewitt: Officials from the Office for Civil Nuclear Security and the Export Control and Non-Proliferation Directorate within my Department participated at the International Atomic Energy Agency's symposium on nuclear safeguards, verification and security held in Vienna between 29 October and 2 November. This included a special session on 2 November focused on the issue of combating nuclear terrorism. The special session consisted of preparations on a number of issues around the response to the threat of nuclear terrorism.
	The IAEA Secretariat will be presenting a preliminary report to the IAEA's Board of Governors later this month on current and planned activities relevant to protecting against acts of nuclear terrorism, and ideas for new and expanded activities for the agency to undertake. The UK is an active member of the Board of Governors, and will consider carefully the agency's proposed activities.

Departmental Reviews

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if initial findings submitted to the strategic steering group as part of the Helping the UK get to the Future First and Business Support reviews will be made available to opposition parties.

Patricia Hewitt: The reviews of my Department's priorities and structure of my Department's support for business are continuing. I propose to make a public announcement about them as soon as their recommendations are ready.

EU Research Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome of the Research Council held in Brussels on 30 October was; what the Government's stance on each issue discussed, including their voting record was; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Research Council which was held in Luxembourg on 30 October:
	1. Held a general debate on Commission proposals for the next EU Research and Development Framework Programme 2002–06, including the proposed new funding instruments, and the next EURATOM Research and Development Framework Programme 2002–06. The Government reiterated their support for a focused programme, aimed at achieving added value through European co-operation, and for improving the efficiency of financial arrangements. The Council agreed to set up an expert working group to examine the future development of research on nuclear fusion.
	2. Adopted Council conclusions on the possible application of Article 169 concerning the voluntary networking of national programmes.
	3. Received a presentation from the Commission of its Communication on the regional dimension of the European Research Area.
	4. Received a presentation by the Commission on a draft European Community action plan on the Global Monitoring of Environmental Security (GMES) satellite initiative. The Government welcomed the emphasis on users' needs in the proposed action plan, but underlined the risks of a potential overlap with the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
	5. Received information from the Commission on the networking of member states' activities in the field of therapeutic AIDS trials.
	6. Under Other Business, the Council agreed in principle a proposal by the Belgian presidency to set up an expert group of member states' representatives to examine the scope for co-operation in research aimed at countering bio-terrorism.
	7. No votes were taken at the Council.

Ministerial Meetings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings Ministers have had with the Institute of Directors in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Since 2 May 1997 DTI Ministers have had formal meetings with representatives from the Institute of Directors on the following number of occasions:
	
		
			 Year Number of occasions 
		
		
			 1997 5 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 4 
			 2000 7 
			 2001 3 
		
	
	In addition, in the normal course of Government business DTI Ministers will have had more informal contact with representatives from the Institute of Directors on other occasions.

Ministerial Meetings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings Ministers have held with the Institute of Management in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Since 2 May 1997 DTI Ministers have had formal meetings with representatives from the Institute of Management on the following occasions.
	
		
			 Year Number of occasions 
		
		
			 2000 3 
			 2001 1 
		
	
	In addition, in the normal course of Government business DTI Ministers will have had more informal contact with representatives from the Institute of Management on other occasions.

Objective 1 Regions

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is in relation to the provision of (a) operating aid, (b) employment aid and (c) investment aid in the Objective 1 regions under Article 87(3)a of the EC Treaty; and what representations she has received on this issue.

Patricia Hewitt: Our policy is to support aid which addresses market failure and which speeds economic reform but which does not distort competition. I have received no recent representations about aid in Objective 1 regions.

Fossil Fuel

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the installed capacity of fossil fuel generation for each fossil fuel type in the UK in each year since 1990.

Patricia Hewitt: The available information is as follows:
	
		Capacity of coal stations owned by major power producers(1) in the UK in DNC(2) terms -- MW
		
			 End month Coal fired Oil fired Mixed or dual fired(3) Gas fired (CCGT)(4) Gas turbines and oil engines 
		
		
			 March 1990 34,583 12,847 5,434 — 3,356 
			 March 1991 34,298 11,895 5,172 — 3,130 
			 March 1992 32,686 10,817 4,806 229 2,968 
			 March 1993 30,523 8,556 5,781 1,129 2,539 
			 March 1994 29,132 6.317 5,694 5,463 2,248 
			 March 1995 27,774 5,145 5,534 8,364 1,895 
			 March 1996 27,494 5,214 5,534 9,034 1,890 
			 December 1996(5) 25,976 3,989 8,445 12,052 1,721 
			 December 1997 25,976 4,069 7,530 12,252 1,526 
			 December 1998 25,324 2,829 6,928 14,638 1,492 
			 December 1999 25,581 2,829 7,017 16,110 1,333 
			 December 2000 24,835 3,514 6,872 19,349 1,243 
		
	
	(1) Companies whose prime purpose is the generation of electricity. The total fossil fuel capacity of other generators was 3,284 MW in March 1990 rising to 5,358 MW in December 2000.
	(2) Declared net capability.
	(3) Mixed or dual fired covers stations that can be fuelled by more than one fuel either as alternatives or simultaneously. So as not to disclose information provided in confidence about individual stations, this category also includes gas fired stations that are not combined cycle gas turbine stations.
	(4) Combined cycle gas turbine stations.
	(5) In 1996 a change was made to measure capacity at the end of the calendar year rather than at the end of March.
	Source:
	Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2001 Table 5.7 and the corresponding tables for earlier years.

Fossil Fuel

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the total amount of electricity generated from fossil fuel sources (a) in total and (b) for each fossil fuel type, in the UK in each year since 1990.

Patricia Hewitt: The available information is as follows:
	
		GWh 
		
			  Electricity supplied from coal Electricity supplied from oil Electricity supplied from gas Total electricity supplied from fossil fuels 
		
		
			 1990(6) n/a n/a n/a 246,114 
			 1991(6) n/a n/a n/a 245,368 
			 1992(6) n/a n/a n/a 236,034 
			 1993 170,276 20,038 32,930 223,244 
			 1994 161,739 14,075 49,526 225,340 
			 1995 157,240 12,480 63,323 233,043 
			 1996 146,856 13,677 82,959 243,492 
			 1997 119,627 7,854 109,515 236,996 
			 1998 122,953 6,360 117,858 247,171 
			 1999 106,112 5,685 143,052 254,849 
			 2000 119,960 5,597 146,807 272,364 
		
	
	(6) Before 1993 electricity supplied statistics were disaggregated by type of station rather than type of fuel so only the total for fossil fuels is available.
	Source:
	Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2001 Table 5.6 and corresponding tables for earlier years.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the total installed capacity of renewable energy generation in the UK in each year since 1990.

Patricia Hewitt: The available information is as follows:
	
		MW 
		
			  End December Capacity of renewable energy generation in the UK in DNC(7) terms 
		
		
			 1990 1,234.8 
			 1991 1,572.7 
			 1992 1,644.5 
			 1993 1,743.0 
			 1994 1,795.3 
			 1995 1,831.1 
			 1996 1,962.0 
			 1997 2,008.1 
			 1998 2,171.3 
			 1999 2,273.4 
			 2000 2,439.7 
		
	
	(7) Declared net capacity
	Source:
	Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2001 Table 7.4 and corresponding tables for earlier years.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what has been the proportion of electricity generated from (a) renewable and (b) UK-based renewable sources since 1990 (i) in total and (ii) compared with each fossil fuel type;
	(2)  what was the (a) total amount of electricity generated from renewable sources in the UK in each year since 1990 and (b) proportion of all electricity generated from (i) renewable sources and (ii) UK-based renewable sources in each year since 1990.

Patricia Hewitt: The available information is as follows. Nuclear sources account for the proportion of generation that was neither from renewables nor fossil fuels. On b(i), the fuel source of imported electricity is not recorded separately in DTI statistics. It is assumed that electricity imported from France in these years was from non-fossil sources:
	
		
			 Year Electricity generated from renewable sources in the UK (GWh)  Proportion of total electricity generated in the UK that was from: Renewable sources (percentage)Fossil fuel sources (percentage) 
		
		
			 1990 5,894 1.8 77 
			 1991 5,409 1.7 76 
			 1992 6,502 2.1 74 
			 1993 5,883 1.8 69 
			 1994 7,307 2.2 69 
			 1995 7,283 2.2 70 
			 1996 6,101 1.8 68 
			 1997 7,428 2.1 68 
			 1998 9,231 2.5 68 
			 1999 10,199 2.8 69 
			 2000 10,476 2.8 73 
		
	
	Source:
	Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2001 Tables 5.6 and 7.44 and the corresponding tables for earlier years

Postal Service

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she proposes to improve the postal service; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Under our reform package for postal services, which was fully implemented on 26 March this year, Consignia has greater commercial freedom to compete more efficiently and effectively. There is now a new independent regulator, the Postal Services Commission, whose primary responsibility is to maintain the provision of a universal postal service at a uniform tariff. The commission has set tough standards of service for Consignia and is monitoring them closely. In addition, the commission can and has licensed other companies to compete with Consignia which will benefit consumers through more choice and better quality services. The commission recently completed a comprehensive consultation exercise on the introduction of competition and is expected to come forward with a report and recommendations shortly.
	The Consumer Council for Postal Services, known as Postwatch, replaced the Post Office Users National Council, and will investigate consumer complaints if these have not been satisfactorily resolved with Consignia. Postwatch has wider powers and duties than POUNC and works closely with Postcomm to monitor the quality of postal services in the UK.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Kosovo

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the bodies found in the mass grave at Dragodan, Pristina have been identified, broken down by (a) ethnic background and (b) sex.

Denis MacShane: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has exhumed 210 bodies from individual graves at the cemetery in Dragodan, Pristina. Of the bodies exhumed, 36 were females and 139 were male. The gender of 35 bodies could not be identified.
	According to the Missing Persons Unit of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), 52 of the 210 bodies have been identified to date. Five bodies were Kosovo Serbs (four male and one female). Forty-seven bodies were Kosovo Albanians (40 male and seven female).

High Commission and Embassy Offices

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of running (a) British high commission offices and (b) British embassy offices in each of the last three years.

Denis MacShane: The total costs of running British high commissions and embassies for the years in question are as follows:
	
		£ million 
		
			  (a) British high commissions (b) British embassies 
		
		
			 1998–99 148.35 510.99 
			 1999–2000 113.50 442.74 
			 2000–01 127.01 479.40 
		
	
	The apparent fall in costs between the first and second years is due to the switch from cash accounting to resource accounting.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the consequences of a failure of the Government of Gibraltar to participate in the Brussels process.

Peter Hain: When the Foreign Secretary met the Spanish Foreign Minister on 26 July for talks under the Brussels process, they confirmed that Gibraltarian engagement would be an important element in carrying the process forward and that they would welcome the attendance of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar at future ministerial meetings. This remains the case and both we and the Government of Spain very much hope that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar will participate at the ministerial meeting due to be held in Barcelona on 20 November.
	The Government believe that through the dialogue in the recently resumed Brussels process, we shall build a better future for the people of Gibraltar, including normalising relations with Spain, and that all should welcome this. I refer the hon. Member to my speech to Westminster Hall on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 88–92WH.

Gibraltar

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he (a) last met and (b) next plans to meet representatives of the Spanish Government to discuss the future of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 6 November 2001, Official Report, column 121W.

Gibraltar

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of Gibraltar.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's briefing of 30 October on the future of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friends to my statement in Westminster Hall on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 88–92WH.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy relating to the sovereignty of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell) on 30 October 2001, Official Report, columns 737–39, and to the speech I made in Westminster Hall on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 88–92WH.

South and Central America

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements were made for discussions with representatives of (a) Government, (b) industrial, (c) commercial and (d) other organisations during his visit to south and central America.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not yet visited south or central America since taking office. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, together with a delegation of business leaders, visited Brazil, Argentina and Mexico in July-August.

Plan for Africa

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department has made to the Plan for Africa.

Ben Bradshaw: The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD—formerly known as the New African Initiative) will require a broad international response, ranging form support to some of NEPAD's programmatic elements to action in the EU, OECD, UN and other international forums. No specific financial commitments have yet been met.
	The Prime Minister has appointed Baroness Amos as his personal representative in developing a G8 Action Plan for Africa to be adopted at the at the 2002 G8 Summit in Canada. The first meeting of G8 Heads of State personal representatives was held in London 17 to 19 October. They agreed to consult widely with other development partners, with the private sector, civil society and international organisations. They have further meetings planned which will include dialogue with African partners. The elements in the Action Plan will be evolved in the context of these meetings.

Private Military Companies

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will publish his Green Paper on private military companies.

Peter Hain: Preparation of the Green Paper is now well advanced. I will keep the House informed of progress.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan (Children)

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will meet representatives of Save the Children to consider what action can be taken by the Government to reunite separated children with their families in the Afghanistan area.

Clare Short: As part of our response to the current crisis, my Department is supporting Save the Children's work in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which encompasses health, education and shelter in addition to child protection activities.
	We are also supporting the Red Cross movement and UNICEF for their work in child protection, food supply, water and sanitation, shelter and health.
	All these organisations are experienced in the important activity of reuniting separated families in humanitarian crises.

Pakistan (Refugee Camps)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what she is doing to ensure that refugee camps in Pakistan comply with internationally agreed standards;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the standards in the refugee camps in Pakistan.

Clare Short: Pakistan has been shouldering the burden of some 2 million refugees from Afghanistan for many years. This is in addition to the estimated 100,000 people who have moved into Pakistan from Afghanistan since 11 September. Over the last 20 years, these refugees have been hosted in camps or absorbed into communities. The majority of the camps in Pakistan pre-date the agreement of the international sphere standards.
	We must of course do all we can to ensure that all refugees are properly cared for. And the international community must do more to give Pakistan all possible support in coping with this burden and making progress towards improving standards in camps.
	So far my Department has committed 3 million to UNHCR's operations in response to the current crisis, to support its operations for refugees. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR in Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee camp sites. In addition we have allocated 5 million to support NGOs, much of which will be directed towards Afghans in Pakistan.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Physical Agents Directive

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of (a) the impact on British businesses of the proposed physical agents directive and (b) its cost to British business.

Alan Whitehead: Regulatory Impact Assessments of the common position on both proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise have been prepared by the Health and Safety Executive. The RIA on the vibration directive has already been submitted to the European Scrutiny Committee and is available in the House of Commons Library; I will shortly submit the RIA on the noise directive and place it in the Library.

Property Blight

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on compensation payable to residents for property blight arising from the construction of the Aston Clinton bypass.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency is able to confirm that two properties need to be acquired in order to construct the A41 London-Birmingham Trunk Road (Aston Clinton Bypass). They are being acquired under Compulsory Purchase Order (C.P.O) (No. SW14) 1997 and compensation for these properties will be at market value. Statutory property blight, which could require us to buy a property adversely affected by the announcement of a road scheme before a C.P.O is issued, did not apply in this instance because no request to purchase was received from the owner occupiers.

Building Inspectors

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement about the system of buildings inspection by approved inspectors.

Alan Whitehead: Building control by approved inspectors is provided for under the Building Act 1984 and the Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2000. People intending to carry out work subject to the building regulations may opt to engage an approved inspector as an alternative to asking the local authority to carry out building control. This competitive situation is widely regarded as a stimulus to better, more efficient building control services.

Air Travel

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he proposes to encourage people to travel by air. [R]

David Jamieson: The Government are working hard to help return the aviation industry to business as usual as quickly as possible.
	Following the events of 11 September security measures have been enhanced at all UK airports and for all flights from the UK. We are carrying out a fundamental review of aviation security to ensure that air travel is as safe from terrorist attacks as we can make it while, at the same time, balancing security with our freedom to travel.
	Alongside increased security measures and intervention to provide the industry with third party war risk insurance, the Government are also actively involved in helping to restore confidence in air travel. As part of this I undertook a programme of visits to airports on 25 October, taking in Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol, which gave me the opportunity to press home the message that we should not let the fear of terrorism undermine our freedom to fly.

Croydon Tramlink

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the future of Croydon Tramlink.

David Jamieson: This is a matter for the Mayor of London and Transport for London.

Port Health

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the expenditure on Port Health was in each of the last five years and what the estimated outturn is for the next three years.

Nick Raynsford: holding answer 6 November 2001
	English local authorities have reported the following expenditure on Port Health. This information was not collected centrally after 199798.
	
		000 
		
			  Net current expenditure 
		
		
			 199394 4,579 
			 199495 4,273 
			 199596 4,335 
			 199697 4,226 
			 199798 4,040

Bypass Schemes

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what European Union guidelines he uses in evaluating the environmental impact of proposed bypass schemes.

David Jamieson: When draft orders are prepared for a road scheme, including a bypass, where the land required exceeds one hectare an environmental statement assessing the environmental impact is required under European Community Directive 85/337/EEC as amended by Directive 97/11/EC. The EC Directive sets out the information specified in the environmental statement but guidelines on evaluating the environmental impact are matters for each member state.

Civil Aviation Industry

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what (a) action he is taking and (b) further plans he has to support the civil aviation industry following the terrorist attacks on 11 September;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with (a) trades unions and (b) civil aviation industry representatives with regard to the problems facing the civil aviation industry since 11 September.

David Jamieson: We have had discussions with airlines and other bodies connected with the aviation industry, including union representatives, to consider the economic consequences for the industry of the 11 September terrorist attacks. The Government have underwritten, on a temporary basis, third party war risk insurance for UK airlines and service providers to the aviation industry and are considering whether further support should be made available within European Commission guidelines.

Aircraft Seating

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the minimum distance between the seat back cushion and the back of the seat in front on all UK-registered aircraft over 5,700 kg MTWA which carry 20 passengers or more;
	(2)  what plans he has to commission research into the need to alter the minimum vertically projected distance between (a) seat rows and (b) a seat and any fixed structure forward of the seat on all UK-registered aircraft over 5,700 kg MTWA which carry 20 passengers or more;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of recommendations of the Anthropometric Study to Update Minimum Aircraft Seating Standards initiated by the Joint Aviation Authorities;
	(4)  what plans he has to increase the minimum distance between the seat base and back of the seat in front on all UK-registered aircraft over 5,700 kg MTWA which carry 20 passengers or more.

David Jamieson: The Anthropometric Study to Update Minimum Aircraft Seating Standards was initiated by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) in order to examine how the most recent data on human dimensions may be used to assess the way passengers sit in their seats and their ability efficiently to evacuate an aircraft in an emergency. In addition some other aspects, such as the adoption of recommended brace positions, were also examined.
	The study, commissioned by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on behalf of the JAA, was carried out by consultants ICE Ergonomics. It made a number of recommendations based on dimensions between seats and between seats and other structures.
	The development and application of airworthiness requirements and operational procedures related to emergency evacuation is the responsibility of the Safety Regulation Group of the CAA. Currently the CAA is the only member of the JAA to set legal minimum requirements for seat spacing. The Authority will consider the study's recommendations in consultation with other members of the JAA and industry, and, if considered appropriate, proposals will be made for amending the airworthiness requirements.

Aircraft Seating

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to commission prospective research together with clinical and basic scientific support, into the incidence and cause of thrombo embolic disease among air travellers.

David Jamieson: The World Health Organisation has recently announced a global research project into a number of aspects of Deep Vein Thrombosis. This Department, together with the Department of Health, is considering the extent to which the Government should participate in this work and will shortly announce plans.

Aircraft Seating

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce compulsory foldaway foot leg rests in all UK-registered aircraft over 5,700 keg MTWA which carry 20 passengers or more.

David Jamieson: Foot leg rests are already provided in many aircraft but not normally in economy class seats. Although their provision might improve the comfort of passengers, there is no evidence to suggest their absence represents a health risk. This is not therefore a matter for regulation but rather a commercial matter for airlines to decide what level of comfort to offer in a particular class of seating.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on providing financial guarantees to the successor company to Railtrack; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Mr. Hendrick) on 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 195W, and to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 671W.

Railtrack

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes he has made in the financial provision for transport services as a result of Railtrack's going into administration.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Lawrie Quinn) on 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1230W.

WALES

Objective 1 Money

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of current allocated Objective 1 money has been spent in Wales; and what percentage is committed to projects in Wales.

Paul Murphy: The operation of Objective 1, and the allocation of its funds, is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Objective 1 Money

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings he has attended in the last 12 months on Objective 1 money with (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Department of Trade and Industry, (c) the European Commission, (d) the National Assembly for Wales and (e) the Welsh Development Agency.

Paul Murphy: In the course of the last 12 months I have had meetings with representatives of all the bodies listed to discuss Objective 1 funding, among other issues.

Departmental Publications

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many publications were issued by his Department in each of the last four years.

Paul Murphy: My Department was established on 1 July 1999 and issued no publications in 1999, one in 2000 and has issued one so far this year.

Joint Committee of Health Ministers

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Mr. Jones), on 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1153, what the conclusions were of the joint committee of Health Ministers from the UK Government and the devolved administrations held on 22 October.

Don Touhig: JMC (Health) provides a forum for Ministers responsible for health services in all parts of the United Kingdom to work together on areas of shared interest to deliver improved health services for the people they serve. At the meeting on 22 October, the Health Ministers exchanged experiences on their respective modernisation agendas and affirmed the importance of continuing to share best practice, working in partnership on issues where they had similar aims and values for improving the patient experience of healthcare.

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001; and on how many occasions in those years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (A) within and (B) outside his Department.

Paul Murphy: None.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

World Athletics Championships

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 10 July 2001, Official Report, columns 44950W, on the World Athletics Championships, what indications she received from Mr. Gyulai regarding the IAAF's continuing commitment to holding the World Athletics Championships in London; and if they discussed a contingency plan for the games to be held outside the UK.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 19 July 2001
	It has been my priority to keep the International Association of Athletic Federations IAAF fully informed at every stage about the review of the UK's arrangements for the 2005 World Athletics Championships. My Department has had the following contact with the IAAF prior to the decision to withdraw support for the Lee Valley project.
	2 July: I spoke to Istvan Gyulai, General Secretary of the IAAF by telephone to inform him that Sport England had commissioned Patrick Carter to review the Lee Valley project and to advise him that the Government were committed to staging the 2005 World Athletics Championships.
	6 August: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport met Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, and Istvan Gyulai at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton.
	25 September: At my request, a senior DCMS official spoke to Istvan Gyulai to inform him that the Government were considering Patrick Carter's report and that we would advise him of the position as soon as the Government, Sport England and UK Athletics had reached a conclusion on staging the World Athletics Championships.
	During these discussions the question of switching the Championships outside the UK was not specifically raised. Once the decision to withdraw support from the Lee Valley project had been taken, David Moorcroft, Chief Executive of UK Athletics and I spoke to Lamine Diack and Istvan Gyulai on 4 October by telephone to let them know of our decision that Lee Valley was not viable and to say that we wanted to suggest to the IAAF that the Championships be switched to Sheffield. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and I met Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, Istvan Gyulai and Robert Stimpson, IAAF Treasurer on 5 October. This meeting was also attended by David Hemery and David Moorcroft from UK Athletics, Patrick Carter and by officials from DCMS and Sport England.

Millennium Dome

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many parliamentary written questions regarding the Millennium Dome have been tabled since 1 May 1997; and how many answers to such questions have been subject to commercial confidentiality.

Kim Howells: holding answer 26 October 2001
	Of some 1,360 questions that have been answered on Dome and Millennium Experience issues since May 1997, 78 questions have been answered by my Department on which information requested has been subject to commercial confidentiality. This represents 5.73 per cent. of all questions answered.
	In addition, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has answered 21 questions relating to the Millennium Dome in which commercial confidentiality has been cited.

Television

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the commercial value of the spectrum which will become available following the switch-off of analogue television.

Kim Howells: The value of the spectrum will depend on a range of issues including the amount of spectrum that may become available, what the spectrum can be used for and how it might be packaged into licences for an award process, together with prospective licensees' own perception of the value of the resource at the time of award in the context of their business plans. It is not possible to anticipate these issues. However, to help consideration of the spectrum planning issues, we will shortly release a consultation document, as a strand of the Draft Digital Television Action Plan published recently, seeking views on the various ways that the spectrum might be ordered after switch over.

European City of Culture

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications she has received for membership of the advisory committee on the selection of the European City of Culture 2008; how many of the applicants are resident in Wales; when she expects to announce the membership of the panel; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have received 47 nominations and applications for membership of the independent advisory panel on the selection of the UK nomination for European Capital of Culture 2008. Of these, four are resident in Wales. We are also identifying possible candidates from the DCMS and Cabinet Office public appointments databases, which include many more people resident in Wales. We expect to announce the membership of the panel by March 2002. It will include at least one member from each of the four countries of the UK.

Consultation Documents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many consultation documents were issued by her Department and its predecessors from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996.

Kim Howells: My Department consults the public in a variety of ways, not simply through the publication of documents. Since 1998 we have, for example, held ministerially-led seminars in connection with our Departmental Spending Review; used specialist working groups to help formulate our national tourism strategy Tomorrow's Tourism; put consultation documents on our internet site, and issued press releases seeking views on whether particular buildings should be listed.
	No central record of every consultation document issued since October 1996 is held, but the approximate figures for DCMS and its predecessor, the Department of National Heritage, are:
	
		
			 From To Number of documents issued 
		
		
			 15 October 1996 14 January 1997 0 
			 15 January 1997 14 April 1997 0 
			 15 April 1997 14 July 1997 1 
			 15 July 1997 14 October 1997 2 
			 15 October 1997 14 January 1998 0 
			 15 January 1998 14 April 1998 2 
			 15 April 1998 14 July 1998 2 
			 15 July 1998 14 October 1998 2 
			 15 October 1998 14 January 1999 2 
			 15 January 1999 14 April 1999 1 
			 15 April 1999 14 July 1999 2 
			 15 July 1999 14 October 1999 0 
			 15 October 1999 14 January 2000 3 
			 15 January 2000 14 April 2000 0 
			 15 April 2000 14 July 2000 4 
			 15 July 2000 14 October 2000 3 
			 15 October 2000 14 January 2001 5 
			 15 January 2001 14 April 2001 4 
			 15 April 2001 14 July 2001 1 
			 15 July 2001 14 October 2001 4 
			 15 October 2001 7 November 2001 1

Commonwealth Stadium

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Government money has been given to the Commonwealth stadium in Manchester.

Richard Caborn: None. The cost of the stadium, currently estimated at 110 million, is being met by Manchester city council with the support of a 77 million lottery grant from Sport England.

Television Licences

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she has taken to ensure that the mailing of households not recorded as holding television licences by the Television Licensing Authority is cost-effective.

Kim Howells: Statutory responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the television licensing system rests with the BBC. Decisions on the resources allocated to different enforcement activities are therefore a matter for the BBC rather than the Government. However, the Corporation is accountable to the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee as to the value for money of the collection and enforcement arrangements.

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft her Department recorded in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001; and on how many occasions in those years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (A) within and (B) outside his Department.

Kim Howells: No cases of computer hacking or fraud, either by outsiders or internal staff were recorded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2000 or in 2001 to date.
	Two computers have been lost so far in 2001 with three computers lost in 2000.
	No Departmental computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers within or outside the Department.

Correspondence

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Thanet on political bias by broadcasting stations; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 6 November 2001
	I wrote to the hon. Member yesterday and I have arranged for copies of my letter to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter to her dated 14 June, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss M. Cowley.

Elliot Morley: My Private Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton on 3 August 2001.
	After a request from my right hon. Friend, the reply was resent on 14 August 2001 signed by myself.

Foxhunting

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of job losses in the countryside if foxhunting does not restart before Christmas.

Alun Michael: holding answer 25 October 2001
	It is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the potential number of job losses consequent on the suspension of hunting as a result of foot and mouth disease.

Foot and Mouth

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were culled in Powys during the foot and mouth outbreak. [R]

Elliot Morley: The numbers of animals slaughtered on infected premises, dangerous contacts, contiguous premises and slaughter on suspicion cases in Powys are available on the DEFRA website (www.defra.gov.uk). The website is updated daily.
	
		Figures for Powys as at 5 November 2001
		
			   Dangerous contacts  
			 Animals IP Contiguous Non- contiguous SOS Total 
		
		
			 Cattle 5,357 9,440 2,224 697 17,718 
			 Sheep 50,941 67,747 36,892 8,149 163,729 
			 Pigs 2 7 47 0 56 
			 Goats 22 15 0 0 37 
			 Deer 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Total 56,322 77,209 39,163 8,846 181,540 
		
	
	Note:
	Data drawn from DEFRA Disease Control System database and are subject to revision as quality assurance of data is carried out.

Foot and Mouth

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance the Arthur Rank Foundation is giving to farmers in Chorley affected by foot and mouth.

Elliot Morley: The Arthur Rank Foundation has used its charitable funds to provide relief for rural communities who have been affected by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. This includes, among other things, the establishment of a National Fodder Bureau. This bureau maintains a database of people who wish to sell or donate fodder and matches them up with farmers who cannot source their own supplies. The National Fodder Bureau has been receiving matched funding from the Countryside Agency pound for pound on donations (excluding corporate donations) and gift aid. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs announced on 6 November that the Government had agreed to a new tranche of match funding, comprising up to 2 million until 31 December 2001.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Murder Investigations

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to appoint a judge of international standing from outside the jurisdiction to undertake the investigation of allegations of collusion in the cases of the murders of Pat Finucane, Robert Hamill, Rosemary Nelson and Billy Wright; when he expects these investigations to be completed; when he will publish the terms of reference for them; what powers he will give the judge to compel potential witnesses and interview people disapplying the Official Secrets Acts; what arrangements will be made to hear the views of the victims' families; and what commitment he has made to publish the terms of his agreement to establish a public inquiry.

Jane Kennedy: The package of proposals published after the Weston Park talks contained details of the investigation by a judge of international standing into the cases of Chief Superintendent Breen and Superintendent Buchanan, Lord Justice and Lady Gibson, Billy Wright, Patrick Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, and Robert Hamill. We are currently working with the Irish Government on the appointment. Further details will be published in due course.

Reproductive Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations made submissions to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission calling for the inclusion of a right to equal and free access to reproductive health care; and if he will list these organisations, together with the number of people represented by them.

Des Browne: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. I have asked the Chief Commissioner to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.

HEALTH

National Organ Register

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of the population have joined the national organ register.

Jacqui Smith: There are currently 9,170,045 people on the national health service organ donor register. This is 15 per cent. of the population.

Waiting Lists

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients died in each year from 1995 to 2000 while on the waiting list for (a) heart, (b) heart and lung, (c) lung and (d) liver transplants;
	(2)  how many people are awaiting a (a) kidney transplant, (b) heart transplant, (c) heart and lung transplant, (d) lung transplant and (e) liver transplant; and if he will make a statement on the shortfall in organs available for transplant;
	(3)  how many organ transplants were carried out in the last five years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is in the tables.
	
		Thoracic and liver patients who died while on the active waiting list in the UK from 1995 to 2000 by organ and year of death
		
			 Organ 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Heart 55 57 59 55 54 37 
			 Heart/lung 32 39 32 22 26 42 
			 Lung 50 50 54 66 71 49 
			 Liver 50 50 62 74 76 65 
			  
			 Total 187 196 207 217 227 193 
		
	
	
		Solid organ waiting list in the UK as of 21 October 2001 by organ and status
		
			 Organ Active Suspended Total 
		
		
			 Kidney 4,779 1,263 6,042 
			 Kidney/pancreas 104 29 133 
			 Pancreas 11 21 32 
			 Heart 106 11 117 
			 Heart/lung 77 2 79 
			 Lung 232 2 234 
			 Liver 151 2 153 
			  
			 Total 5,460 1,330 6,790 
		
	
	
		Solid organ transplants in the UK from 1996 to 2000 by organ and year of transplant 
		
			 Organ 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total 
		
		
			 Kidney 1,682 1,666 1,581 1,581 1,670 8,180 
			 Kidney/pancreas 19 21 22 31 32 125 
			 Pancreas 3 9 0 3 0 15 
			 Heart 276 264 261 227 204 1,232 
			 Heart/lung 50 43 51 49 33 226 
			 Lung 116 103 88 100 98 515 
			 Liver 617 659 651 679 665 3,271 
			 Other Multi-organ 24 14 19 15 6 78 
			  
			 Total 2,787 2,779 2,673 2,695 2,708 13,642

Pneumococcal Vaccine

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to (a) provide and (b) promote pneumococcal vaccine for pensioners aged over 65 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans the JCVI has to consider the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccine on elderly patients and make recommendations on its future use for NHS patients aged over 65 years;
	(3)  what evaluations his Department has made of the clinical effectiveness of the pneumococcal vaccine for those aged over 65 years;
	(4)  what estimates he has made of the (a) cost and (b) savings to the NHS if everyone aged 65 years and more were given the pneumococcal vaccine;
	(5)  what evaluations his Department has carried out into the cost effectiveness of administering the pneumococcal vaccine to all those aged over 65 years;
	(6)  what plans her Department has to submit evidence to the JCVI on the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccine for those aged 65 years and older; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 29 October 2001
	Based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), pneumococcal vaccine is currently recommended for use in certain risk groups with certain medical conditions, which put them at higher risk of pneumococcal infection. The JCVI regularly reviews its advice and the Department also keeps the evidence base on this topic under review.
	Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all those aged two years or older in whom pneumococcal infection is likely to be more common and/or dangerous, ie those with:
	Asplenia or severe dysfunction of the spleen
	Chronic renal disease or nephrotic syndrome
	Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including HIV infection at all stages
	Chronic heart disease
	Chronic lung disease
	Chronic liver disease including cirrhosis
	Diabetes mellitus.
	It is the responsibility of general practitioners and nurses to identify and immunise their at risk patients.
	The Department has not carried out a cost effectiveness study of administering the pneumococcal vaccine to all aged 65 years and over but continues to recommend the vaccine based on underlying ill health rather than age.

Pneumococcal Vaccine

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the clinical and cost effectiveness of implementing an age-based pneumococcal vaccine campaign;
	(2)  which health authorities operate age-based pneumococcal vaccine campaigns.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 29 October 2001
	The Department has not carried out a cost effectiveness study of administering pneumococcal vaccine based on age and does not hold data on which health authorities operate age-based pneumococcal vaccine, as the Department continues to recommend the vaccine based on underlying ill health rather than age.
	Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all those aged two years or older in whom pneumococcal infection is likely to be more common and/or dangerous, ie those with:
	Asplenia or severe dysfunction of the spleen
	Chronic renal disease or nephrotic syndrome
	Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including HIV infection at all stages
	Chronic heart disease
	Chronic lung disease
	Chronic liver disease including cirrhosis
	Diabetes mellitus.
	It is the responsibility of general practitioners and nurses to identify and immunise their at risk patients.

National Care Standards Commission

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist pharmacist inspectors the National Care Standards Commission plans to have in its establishment; how many will be in post from 1 April 2002; and what their role will be.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 29 October 2001
	The planned establishment for pharmacist inspectors in the National Care Standards Commission is 66. The number which will be in post at 1 April 2002 is not yet known, as invitations to transfer have not yet been issued to staff eligible to transfer from health authorities and trusts. The ministerial scheme to effect the transfer of staff (the Statutory Transfer Order) will be prepared later this year. The role of pharmacist inspectors in the National Care Standards Commission will continue to be to provide professional support to regulation, with the new regulator, from 1 April 2002.

Maternity Units

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities have midwife-led maternity units.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 29 October 2001
	Using a definition of midwife-led units to cover free standing units, separate units co-located with other hospital services and midwife-led areas which are part of a consultant-led unit, the following health authorities have midwife-led units:
	Trent Region:
	North Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, South Humber, Nottinghamshire, South Derbyshire, Doncaster, Sheffield and Nottingham.
	South Eastern Region:
	Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Kent, East Surrey, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, North and Mid Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Southampton and South West Hampshire
	South West Region:
	Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, North and East Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
	North West Region:
	South Lancashire, Morecambe Bay, St. Helens and Knowsley and Salford and Trafford.
	Northern and Yorkshire Region:
	East Riding and Hull, Northumberland, North Cumbria, Tees and Wakefield (to open February 2002).
	West Midland Region:
	Shropshire, North Staffordshire, South Staffordshire, Worcestershire Coventry, Birmingham.
	Eastern Region:
	North Essex health authority and Suffolk health authority.
	London Region:
	Kensington Chelsea and Westminster, Barking and Havering, Lambeth Southwark and Lewisham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, Camden and Islington, Barnet Enfield and Haringey, East London and The City, Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich, Ealing Hammersmith and Hounslow, Merton Sutton and Wandsworth, Brent and Harrow, Kingston and Richmond and Croydon.

Departmental Publications

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publications were issued by his Department in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: The Department has issued the following number of publications over the last four years:
	
		
			  Number of publications issued 
		
		
			 1998 974 
			 1999 884 
			 2000 1,035 
			 2001 (8)946 
		
	
	(8) As of 31 October 2001
	Note:
	These figures include documents issued as books, leaflets, circulars or in electronic format only

NHS Dentists

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of dentists providing treatment on the national health service in each health authority in England and Wales in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: The number of general dental services dentists in England and Wales is shown in the table for June in each of the years 1998 to 2001 for the current health authorities.
	The total number of dentists in England and Wales increased by 7 per cent. in the three years from June 1998 to June 2001. The commitment of individual dentists to the general dental services can vary.
	
		General dental service: Total number of dentists at 30 June each year from 1998 to 2001: England and Wales
		
			 Health authority by region 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 England and Wales 17,691 18,245 18,686 18,995 
			  
			 England 16,763 17,270 17,700 18,004 
			  
			 Northern and Yorkshire 1,990 2,030 2,030 2,110 
			 Bradford 146 148 148 142 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 185 185 188 195 
			 County Durham and Darlington 153 161 165 171 
			 East Riding and Hull 136 141 145 153 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 119 122 119 124 
			 Leeds 265 268 254 279 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 161 173 164 168 
			 North Cumbria 103 102 102 104 
			 North Yorkshire 268 279 280 292 
			 Northumberland 107 100 100 97 
			 Sunderland 79 76 82 85 
			 Tees 182 186 189 196 
			 Wakefield 86 89 94 104 
			  
			 Trent 1,447 1,495 1,560 1,570 
			 Barnsley 61 64 67 61 
			 Doncaster 88 85 96 98 
			 Leicestershire 261 267 277 278 
			 Lincolnshire 136 149 156 157 
			 North Derbyshire 102 105 104 112 
			 North Nottinghamshire 106 107 122 117 
			 Nottingham 210 219 222 223 
			 Rotherham 70 70 73 75 
			 Sheffield 178 176 186 197 
			 Southern Derbyshire 162 177 178 172 
			 South Humber 73 76 79 80 
			  
			 West Midlands 1,545 1,571 1,612 1,632 
			 Birmingham 313 314 321 315 
			 Coventry 83 86 88 89 
			 Dudley 84 81 85 91 
			 Herefordshire 67 72 73 73 
			 North Staffordshire 114 116 119 128 
			 Sandwell 86 86 81 86 
			 Shropshire 136 132 141 146 
			 Solihull 55 62 63 65 
			 South Staffordshire 161 158 166 171 
			 Walsall 58 61 63 54 
			 Warwickshire 148 152 164 166 
			 Wolverhampton 60 65 66 69 
			 Worcestershire 180 186 182 179 
			  
			 North West 2,213 2,239 2,237 2,253 
			 Bury and Rochdale 127 124 123 118 
			 East Lancashire 159 157 160 158 
			 Liverpool 153 151 144 150 
			 Manchester 173 180 167 169 
			 Morecambe Bay 106 110 114 111 
			 North Cheshire 88 91 97 93 
			 North West Lancashire 161 165 169 165 
			 Salford and Trafford 151 148 152 154 
			 Sefton 96 97 92 95 
			 South Cheshire 265 251 247 253 
			 South Lancashire 93 95 93 99 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 94 105 106 106 
			 Stockport 111 107 116 120 
			 West Pennine 144 146 143 148 
			 Wigan and Bolton 166 175 180 181 
			 Wirral 126 137 134 133 
			  
			 Eastern 1,772 1,858 1,914 1,976 
			 Bedfordshire 165 176 191 188 
			 Cambridgeshire(9)  223 227 241 
			 Hertfordshire 429 453 468 494 
			 Norfolk(9)  266 266 277 
			 North Essex 289 295 302 305 
			 South Essex 210 220 235 241 
			 Suffolk 212 225 225 230 
			  
			 London 2,948 3,011 3,102 3,137 
			 Barking and Havering 109 117 117 123 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 346 347 373 371 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich 262 267 293 294 
			 Brent and Harrow 196 198 196 213 
			 Camden and Islington 204 208 220 233 
			 Croydon 140 141 136 150 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 345 361 341 348 
			 East London and The City 185 204 191 196 
			 Hillingdon 93 96 97 101 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 222 219 237 216 
			 Kingston and Richmond 149 155 155 155 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 273 259 272 261 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 264 275 293 301 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 160 164 181 175 
			  
			 South East 3,082 3,225 3,326 3,376 
			 Berkshire 277 282 307 303 
			 Buckinghamshire 252 272 283 288 
			 East Kent 193 200 206 204 
			 East Surrey 190 189 189 202 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 296 308 317 328 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 211 225 224 226 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 178 188 197 212 
			 Northamptonshire 160 167 169 167 
			 Oxfordshire 210 223 244 253 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 190 193 199 199 
			 West Kent 352 364 369 357 
			 West Surrey 269 294 288 295 
			 West Sussex 304 320 334 342 
			  
			 South and West 1,766 1,841 1,919 1,950 
			 Avon 396 411 431 436 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 158 161 171 178 
			 Dorset 251 263 271 272 
			 Gloucestershire 210 217 218 215 
			 North and East Devon 180 184 191 204 
			 Somerset 161 162 176 174 
			 South and West Devon 210 228 240 249 
			 Wiltshire 200 215 221 222 
			  
			 Wales 928 975 986 991 
			 Bro Taf 228 238 243 247 
			 Dyfed Powys 145 160 165 167 
			 Gwent 176 183 180 180 
			 Morgannwg 176 185 185 186 
			 North Wales 203 209 213 211 
		
	
	(9) June 1998 data are not available. Cambridge and Norfolk HAs were created in April 1999 from the previous HAs: Cambridge and Huntingdon; East Norfolk; and North West Anglia. The total number of dentists in these HAs was 467 in June 1998 and 489 in June 1999.
	Notes:
	1. Some dentists have contracts in more than one health authority. These dentists have been counted only once, in the HA in which they hold their main contract. Dentists include principals on a HA list of dentists, and their assistants and vocational dental practitioners.
	2. At 30 June 2001 there were 592 dentists working in the personal dental service (PDS) in England, of which 385 were working solely in the PDS. There are no PDS pilots in Wales.

Digital Hearing Aids

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the success of trials involving digital hearing aids in the 20 trial hospitals under the Government pilot programme;
	(2)  what research his Department has undertaken to assess the possibility of establishing a system to enable members of the public to purchase digital hearing aids at the cost price through the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has commissioned the Institute of Hearing Research to evaluate the modernising NHS hearing aid services project. The final evaluation report will be available next year.
	The Department is not conducting research to evaluate allowing people to pay for digital hearing aids on the national health service. NHS hearing aid services, which include hearing tests, hearing aids and follow up care, are available free to children and adults who are resident in the United Kingdom.

Digital Hearing Aids

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preliminary evaluation of the first wave sites in the digital hearing aid trial he has received; and if a copy will be placed in the Library.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has received interim evaluation reports based on data collected from a relatively small sample of patients from the Institute of Hearing Research in July and October. The evaluation is still ongoing, so reports have not been placed in the Library.
	The final evaluation report will be available next year.

Digital Hearing Aids

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timescale his Department is working under to extend the pilot programme of provision of digital hearing aids to the rest of the NHS; and what plans his Department has made regarding the future funding of digital hearing aids on the NHS between 200203 and 200304.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The Department expects to make decisions about extending the modernisation of national health service hearing aid services to other audiology departments from 200203, and about future funding of digital hearing aids on the NHS, in the light of the research evaluation which is being carried out by the Institute of Hearing Research.
	Twenty NHS trusts in England are fitting digital hearing aids as part of the modernising NHS hearing aid services project.

BMA Guidance

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy relating to the British Medical Association's guidance on withholding and withdrawing life-prolonging medical treatment; and what observations he has sent to the Association on this subject.

Hazel Blears: The document issued by the British Medical Association aims to identify the range of clinical, ethical and legal factors which need to be considered in making decisions on withdrawing and withholding medical treatment. It covers also potential procedures, including consulting the health care team and seeking a second opinion where necessary, which may assist in ensuring high quality decision-making in this area.
	The guidance is a helpful contribution on this subject for practitioners. We have not made any observations to the association on this subject and have no plans to do so.

North Durham NHS Trust

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list the (a) individuals invited for interview by the NHS Appointments Commission for the post of chair of the North Durham NHS Trust and (b) reasons for their selection for interview; [R]
	(2)  which (a) individuals and (b) organisations were consulted by the NHS Appointments Commission on the appointment of the chair of the North Durham NHS Trust; and if he will publish their comments; [R]
	(3)  what reasons were given by the NHS Appointments Commission for not reappointing Mr. Kevin Earley to the post of chair of the North Durham NHS Trust. [R]

Hazel Blears: Appointment of chairs of national health service trusts is the responsibility of the NHS Appointments Commission. The appointments process they follow has been published and has been approved by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. It is an open and transparent process but rightly protects the identity of individual candidates and the assessment of their performance at interview or elsewhere. I understand that the Appointments Commission drew the advertisements for this appointment to the attention of local hon. Members and local authorities, but in accordance with their agreed procedures, did not consult on the appointment.

Smoking-related Illnesses

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of expenditure in each of the last three financial years on NHS treatment of smoking- related illnesses.

Hazel Blears: Treating illness and disease caused by smoking is estimated to cost the national health service up to 1.7 billion every year in terms of general practitioner visits, prescriptions, treatment and operations.

Air Ambulance Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received regarding public funding of air ambulance services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which air ambulance services receive public funding.

Hazel Blears: We have received a number of letters of support from a wide variety of organisations suggesting that there should be public funding of air ambulances. Evidence supporting the introduction of air ambulances in the national health service, however, is not convincing. In 1995, the Department commissioned Sheffield University to report on air ambulances. The report failed to show benefits which would justify NHS investment. However, in recognition of the growing public interest in this subject, further research has been commissioned into the contribution made by air ambulances in the care and transportation of seriously ill patients in a modern NHS. The Department will review the position on this issue when the outcome of this further research is available.
	Information on the funding of individual air ambulance services is not collected centrally.

Social Services Departments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 29 October, Official Report, column 559W, on the community care services special grant, if he will list the sources of the money allocated by his Department which previously were not earmarked for social services.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 5 November 2001
	The 300 million allocated to councils over this year and next is additional funding for social care. 80 million of this funding has been provided by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, and a further 20 million from Her Majesty's Treasury. The remaining 200 million will be found from unallocated funds within the Departmental expenditure limit.

Hospital Meals

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per hospital meal is (a) before and (b) after the implementation of the Government's better hospital food programme; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The better hospital food programme, announced in the NHS Plan, is designed to improve the quality and availability of food in hospitals. It is a long term programme, the first stage of which requires hospitals, by 31 December 2001 to ensure that their meal services meet or exceed required standards and meet nutritional requirements, to provide a 24-hour catering service so that patients can obtain food when they need it, to adopt the national design for menus, and to provide on their menus dishes designed for the National Health Service by the team of leading chefs.
	The initial stage of the programme is therefore about bringing standards up to the required level in places where they do not currently meet these.
	The costs of each component part of the programme will vary from hospital to be hospital, and will be affected by a range of factors including current levels of investment in catering services, the type of catering service in use and the number of patients choosing dishes designed by the leading chefs.
	Since hospitals are not required to implement the programme until 31 December 2001, and because at this stage costs will vary considerably, precise details regarding the average additional costs are not currently available. These will become available in the coming months.
	Once standards have been brought to a more equal level across the service, it will be easier to accurately forecast any additional costs of future improvements.

Human Organs

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what Government bodies and agencies deal with matters referred to in the Chief Medical Officer's advice of January relating to the removal, retention and use of human organs and tissue from post-mortem examination; what work has been undertaken by them; and what further work remains for them to do;
	(2)  what recent study he has made of the psychological aspects of the removal and retention of human organs and tissue; what further work he plans; and how such work will be carried out;
	(3)  what recent research he has undertaken on international practice relating to the removal, retention and use of human organs and tissue; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what action he proposes to take to put into practice the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer in respect of the removal, retention and use of human organs and tissue;
	(5)  what work has been done on the recommendation from the Chief Medical Officer for a review of the legislation on organ donation; and when he is planning to begin consultations.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 5 November 2001
	We are committed to implementing the Chief Medical Officer's recommendations on the removal, retention and use of human organs and tissue made in the light of the Redfern and Kennedy reports. The Department is principally responsible for this programme. We have established the Retained Organs Commission as a special health authority to oversee, among other things, the return of organs and tissue to families who want that to happen. The Home Office is leading a review of the coroners' system which was set up in July this year. Close links are being maintained between the two Departments and with the Commission.
	As part of the implementation programme, we shall shortly be consulting publicly on a number of documents, including codes of practice on communications with families about post mortems and on the import and export of body parts. Linked to the Department's wider Good Practice in Consent initiative, we shall be piloting consent forms for hospital post mortems and for consent to the post-mortem removal, retention and use of organs and tissue where such actions are not required by the Coroner. We shall be seeking views also on an interim statement on the use of organs and tissue, based on the current law.
	For the medium to longer term, the Department is leading a comprehensive review of the law in England and Wales which will examine, among other things, the taking, storage and use of organs and tissue from the living and the dead and options for future regulatory control. We shall be issuing an initial consultative paper on the review in the near future.
	As part of the review we shall be gathering further information about how these matters are treated in other countries, notably elsewhere in the European Union, in North America and in parts of the Commonwealth.
	We do not now propose to legislate separately to amend the Human Tissue Act 1961 to clarify that consent must be sought from those with parental responsibility for the retention of organs or tissue from post mortem on children beyond the time necessary to establish the cause of death. This proposal, as well as our intention to introduce a penalty for non-compliance, will be considered as part of the comprehensive review.
	We are aware that many families affected by organ removal and retention may require a range of support, including psychological support, from the statutory and voluntary services. On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, we have made a clear commitment to improve bereavement services. We shall be considering what else may need to be done to meet individual and family needs; and whether the Department needs to commission any research or other survey on psychological aspects. The consultative process will have an important part to play here.

CT Scanner (Blackpool Victoria Hospital)

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide funding for an additional CT scanner at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	In the coming months, the Department will be drawing up and discussing the criteria for allocating a further 50 computer tomography scanners nationally, funded through the NHS Cancer Plan for 200304. It is hoped that a list of sites will be agreed early in the next financial year. Blackpool Victoria Hospital can apply to be considered for an additional scanner under this initiative.

Zyban

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has received in the last six months on the safety of bupropion (Zyban).

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Since the marketing of bupropion (Zyban) in June 2000, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been kept informed by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Government's independent expert scientific advisory body, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM), on matters relating to its safety.
	In the last six months this has included the following CSM advice issued on 31 May 2001, the purpose of which was to minimise the risk of adverse effects especially seizures:
	(i) The dosing regimen should be amended to delay the increase in dose (from day four to day seven of treatment) in order to give more time for drug levels to stabilise.
	(ii) Existing warnings relating to the other risk factors for seizure should be strengthened to emphasise that Zyban should only be used in patients with these factors if there are compelling clinical reasons.
	The CSM has continued to review the balance between the effectiveness of Zyban in helping people to stop smoking, and the health benefits that this brings, with the risk of adverse effects. This balance is considered to remain favourable. There is some indication that the latest advice issued by CSM has helped to further improve the safe use of Zyban, since the rate of reporting of suspected adverse reactions in the United Kingdom has decreased since then. The CSM will continue to monitor its safety record of Zyban closely.

Delayed Discharges

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition of a health and social care change agent is used in relation to investment in reducing delayed discharges.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	A health and social care change agent is defined as a member of the change agents team who addresses the issue of delayed discharge by practical action and advice to support local national health service and social services management. The work of the change agents is likely to cover local implementation of relevant standards of the National Service Framework for Older People, particularly including development of care trusts, where these may impact on bed blocking locally.

NHS Magazine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of the NHS Magazine are sold per issue; and how many copies are distributed free of charge.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Twenty-two copies of NHS Magazine are sold to overseas and private sector subscribers per issue. The remaining 61,000 are distributed free of charge.

NHS Magazine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what involvement Ministers have in (a) writing the editorial page of the NHS Magazine and (b) sanctioning the content of articles.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Ministers do not see any of the content of NHS Magazine prior to publication. Content is approved by officials in the Department.

NHS Magazine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of is of producing NHS Plan News.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The average cost of producing NHS Plan News is 0.2p a copy.

NHS Magazine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of publishing the NHS Magazine is.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The average cost of publishing the NHS Magazine is 1.4p a copy.

Service Agreements

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the departmental public service agreements will be updated to reflect the commitments contained in the NHS National Plan.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The Department's public service agreement already reflects the commitments contained in the NHS Plan. The public service agreement can be found at Annexe 3, page 142, of the NHS Plan.

Ambulances

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to allow GPs to override telephone protocols when making emergency requests for ambulances.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Protocols for making emergency requests for ambulances are agreed locally between general practitioners and each ambulance trust. There are no plans to override these arrangements.
	All national health service ambulance trusts use call prioritisation systems. This means that calls to immediately life threatening conditions will get a quicker response. Ambulance services are required to take patients to hospitals that are identified by a doctor as urgent so that these patients arrive at hospital within 15 minutes of the arrival time specified by the doctor in 95 per cent. of cases.

Ambulances

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) guidance and (b) instructions on performance levels have been given to the Isle of Wight ambulance service this year; and when, distinguishing that which is general to the ambulance services from that which is specific to the island's service.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Ambulance services in England measure their performance against a number of criteria. We place a high priority on performance in responding to category A calls, those calls which may be immediately life-threatening. There is no different standard on performance levels set for the Isle of Wight. All ambulance services, including that on the Isle of Wight, were originally set a target of reaching 75 per cent. of category A calls in eight minutes by 31 March 2001.

Ambulances

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the target response time for non-urgent ambulance responses is; and what the average response time has been in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 November 2001
	There are no nationally laid down standards for ambulance responses to patients with non-emergency illnesses and injuries.
	Information on response times for all National Health Service ambulance trusts is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin Ambulance Services, England 200001. A copy is in the Library and available at www.doh.uk/public/sb0115.htm.

Mixed Sex Wards

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds were in mixed sex wards in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Hospital wards are usually subdivided into bays and these are designated male or female. Depending on case mix and local need, the exact proportion of male to female bays will vary. We are therefore unable to provide information at the level of the individual ward.
	The national health service is working to eliminate mixed sex accommodation. Guidance on maintaining privacy and dignity was first issued to the service in 1997 and since then NHS trusts have been working towards clear targets to promote privacy and dignity in hospital wards.
	These targets include the abolition of Nightingale wards for older people and 120 million has been allocated over the next three years to make progress towards this. Schemes to modify 233 wards have already been approved to commence work this year and further schemes will begin in the next two years.

Chest Pain Clinics

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the locations of the rapid access chest pain clinics.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The information requested is in the table.
	
		List of rapid access chest pain clinics
		
			 Number/hospital  NHS trust 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire region  
			 1. Bradford Royal Infirmary Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 2. Sunderland Royal Hospital City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust 
			 3. Dewsbury and District Hospital Dewsbury Health Care NHS Trust 
			 4. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead Health NHS Trust 
			 5. Hull Royal Infirmary Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 6. St. James' University Hospital Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 7. Hartlepool General Hospital North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 
			 8. North Tyneside General Hospital Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 9. Wansbeck General Hospital Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 10. Pinderfields Hospital Pinderfields and Pontefract NHS Trust 
			 11. Pontefract General Infirmary Pinderfields and Pontefract NHS Trust 
			 12. Scarborough Hospital Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 
			 13. Bishop Auckland General Hospital South Durham Health Care NHS Trust 
			 14. Darlington Memorial Hospital South Durham Health Care NHS Trust 
			   
			 Trent region  
			 15. Barnsley District General Hospital Barnsley District General Hospital NHS Trust 
			 16. Bassetlaw District General Hospital Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 17. Doncaster Royal Infirmary Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 18. Scunthorpe General Hospital (and Goole Hospital) Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust  
			 19. Nottingham City Hospital Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 
			 20. Nottingham University Hospital Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham University NHS Trust 
			 21. Rotherham General Hospital Rotherham General Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 22. Northern General Hospital Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 23. Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 24. Kings Mill Centre for Health Care Services Sherwood Forest Hospitals 
			 25. Derbyshire Royal Infirmary Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 26. Grantham Hospital (and Skegness Hospital) United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 27. Lincoln County Hospital United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 28. Louth Hospital United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 29. Pilgrim Hospital United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 30. Glenfield General Hospital University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 
			   
			 West Midlands region  
			 31. Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust 
			 32. City Hospital City Hospital NHS Trust 
			 33. City General Hospital North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 
			 34. Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 35. New Cross Hospital Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 36. Sandwell District General Hospital Sandwell Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 37. Walsall Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 38. Walsgrave Hospital University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 
			 39. Alexandra Hospital Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust 
			 40. Kidderminster General Hospital Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust 
			 41. Worcester Royal Infirmary Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust 
			   
			 North West region  
			 42. University Hospital Aintree Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 43. Blackburn Royal Infirmary Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 44. Victoria Hospital Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust 
			 45. Royal Bolton Hospital Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 46. Burnley General Hospital Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 47. Bury General Hospital Bury Health Care NHS Trust 
			 48. Manchester Royal Infirmary Central Manchester and Manchester Childrens NHS Trust 
			 49. Chorley District General Hospital Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust 
			 50. Countess of Chester Hospital Countess of Chester NHS Trust 
			 51. Macclesfield District General Hospital East Cheshire NHS Trust 
			 52. CTC Liverpool Liverpool Cardiothoracic Centre NHS Trust 
			 53. Leighton Hospital Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust 
			 54. Furness General Hospital Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 55. Royal Lancaster Infirmary Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 56. Westmorland General Hospital Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 57. Halton General Hospital North Cheshire NHS Trust 
			 58. Warrington Hospital North Cheshire NHS Trust 
			 59. North Manchester General Hospital North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 60. Royal Oldham Hospital Oldham NHS Trust 
			 61. Royal Preston Hospital Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 62. Birchill Hospital Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 63. Royal Liverpool University Hospital Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals University NHS Trust 
			 64. Hope Hospital Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 65. Wythenshawe Hospital South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 66. Ormskirk and District General Hospital Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 
			 67. Southport and Formby District General Hospital Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 
			 68. Whiston Hospital St. Helens and Knowsley Hospital NHS Trust 
			 69. Stepping Hill Hospital Stockport NHS Trust 
			 70. Tameside General Hospital Tameside Acute Care NHS Trust 
			 71. Trafford General Hospital Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 72. Royal Albert Edward Infirmary Wigan and Leigh Health Services NHS Trust 
			 73. Arrowe Park Hospital Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 
			   
			 Eastern region  
			 74. Addenbrookes Hospital Addenbrooke's NHS Trust 
			 75. Basildon Hospital Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 76. Lister Hospital East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 
			 77. Queen Elizabeth II Hospital East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 
			 78. Colchester General Hospital Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 79. Ipswich Hospital Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 
			 80. James Paget Hospital James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 81. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 82. Luton and Dunstable Hospital Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 
			 83. Broomfield Hospital Mid Essex Hospitals Services NHS Trust 
			 84. Princess Alexandra Hospital Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 
			 85. Southend Hospital Southend Hospital NHS Trust 
			 86. Hemel Hempstead General Hospital West Hertfordshire NHS Trust 
			 87. Watford Hospital West Hertfordshire NHS Trust 
			 London region  
			 88. King George Hospital Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 89. Oldchurch Hospital Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 90. Barnet General Hospital Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust 
			 91. Bromley Hospital Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 92. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 93. Ealing Hospital Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 
			 94. St. Helier Hospital Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust 
			 95. Charing Cross Hospital Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 96. Hammersmith Hospital Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 97. Homerton Hospital Homerton Hospital NHS Trust 
			 98. Kingston Hospital Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 
			 99. Lewisham University Hospital Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 
			 100. Mayday University Hospital Mayday Health Care NHS Trust 
			 101. Newham General Hospital Newham Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 102. North Middlesex Hospital North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 
			 103. Central Middlesex Hospital North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 104. Northwick Park Hospital North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 105. Queen Mary's Hospital Queen Mary's, Sidcup NHS Trust 
			 106. St. George's Hospital St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 107. St. Mary's Hospital St. Mary's Hospital NHS Trust 
			 108. Whipps Cross Hospital Whipps Cross University Hospitals NHS Trust. 
			 109. Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 
			 110. Queen Mary's Roehampton South West London Community Trust 
			   
			 South East  
			 111. Ashford Hospital, Middlesex Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 112. St. Peter's Hospital Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 113. Royal Sussex County Hospital Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 
			 114. Darent Valley Hospital Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 
			 115. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 116. Eastbourne District General Hospital Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 117. Conquest Hospital Hastings and Rother NHS Trust 
			 118. Wexham Park Hospital Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 119. Kettering General Hospital Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 
			 120. Medway Maritime Hospital Medway NHS Trust 
			 121. Milton Keynes General Hospital Milton Keynes General NHS Trust 
			 122. North Hampshire Hospital North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 123. Northampton General Hospital Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 
			 124. Horton Hospital Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 125. John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 126. St. Mary's Hospital Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 127. Royal Berkshire Hospital Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 128. Royal Surrey County Hospital Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 
			 129. St. Richards Hospital Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 
			 130. Wycombe Hospital South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust 
			 131. Southampton General Hospital Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 132. Crawley Hospital Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 133. East Surrey Hospital Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 134. Worthing Hospital Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 
			   
			 South West  
			 135. Cheltenham General Hospital East Gloucestershire NHS Trust 
			 136. Yeovil District Hospital East Somerset NHS Trust 
			 137. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust 
			 138. Frenchay Hospital North Bristol NHS Trust 
			 139. Southmead Hospital North Bristol NHS Trust 
			 140. North Devon District Hospital Northern Devon Healthcare Trust 
			 141. Derriford Hospital Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 142. Poole Hospital Poole Hospital NHS Trust 
			 143. Royal Bournemouth Hospital Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Trust 
			 144. Royal Cornwall Hospital Royal Cornwall Hospitals and West Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust 
			 145. Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust 
			 146. Royal United Hospital Bath Royal United Hospitals, Bath NHS Trust 
			 147. Salisbury District Hospital Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 
			 148. Torbay Hospital South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 149. Princess Margaret Hospital Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 
			 150. Taunton and Somerset Hospital Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 
			 151. Bristol Royal Infirmary United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 152. Dorset County Hospital West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 153. Weston General Hospital Weston Area NHS Trust

Public Health Laboratory Service

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the expenditure on the Public Health Laboratory Service for each of the past five years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The gross expenditure on the Public Health Laboratory Service for each of the past five years is given in the table. These figures are in cash terms for the whole period.
	
		000 
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 
		
		
			 Revenue expenditure 109,696 118,899 120,392 125,751 129,836 
			 Capital expenditure 3,539 3,892 3,624 4,067 4,567 
			  
			 Total 113,235 122,791 124,016 129,818 134,403

Welfare Foods Scheme

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the detailed expenditure plans of the welfare foods scheme.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The planned net programme expenditure on welfare foods in 200102 is 114.5 million for England. No decisions have been made about future years.

Occupational Health and Safety Service

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on establishing the Occupational Health and Safety Service for general practitioners.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	6 million was included in health authority main allocations in England for commissioning occupational health and safety services for general medical practitioners and their staff during 200102. Guidance on the provision and range of service delivery standards was issued to health authorities on 28 June 2001.

GPs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he is making on achieving 48-hour access to general practitioners.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Health authorities were asked to set plans to achieve 48 hour access for 60 per cent. of patients by April 2002. These plans are being monitored through the usual performance management mechanisms. The 60 per cent. milestone is the first on the way to achieving 100 per cent. coverage by 2004.
	As part of regular performance monitoring, health authorities were asked to carry out a survey of primary care access on 26 September. Data from the survey are currently being analysed and will be available shortly.

Overseas Health Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the legislation required to enable health authorities and primary care trusts to send patients abroad for routine treatment.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The recent judgments of the European Court of Justice in the joined cases Geraets-Smits/Peerbooms and Case Vanbraekel (joined Cases C-157/99 and Case 36898 respectively) marked a development in the interpretation of directly applicable provisions of European Community law. The cases concerned the interpretation of directly applicable Treaty provisions and these have to be applied even in the face of inconsistent domestic law.
	The relevant provisions of the National Health Service Act 1977 will be amended in the interests of legal certainty. This can be done by regulations made under the European Communities Act 1972 and this is in hand. In the meantime health authorities and primary care trusts are legally able to commission services abroad.
	Working with the three test-bed sites, the Department is examining the detailed practical and legal issues involved in sending patients abroad. This work may raise legal issues requiring further amendments to specific regulations.

Overseas Doctors

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests of linguistic aptitude will be taken by doctors from EU countries applying to work in the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	European Economic Area doctors (and others with enforceable Community rights) do not have to prove to the registration authority that they have a knowledge of English in order to have their qualifications recognised in the United Kingdom.
	National health service employers themselves are responsible for ensuring that the doctors they employ have the necessary language, communication and professional skills to carry out their jobs safely.

Research and Development

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve research and development in each of the NHS regions.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	As the Minister with responsibility for research at the Department, my noble Friend Lord Hunt of Kings Heath announced in March 2000 plans for the modernisation of national health service research and development funding set out in Research and Development for a First Class Service. They included the establishment of a funding system for NHS priorities and needs research and development, which should be introduced in 200203. This system will open new avenues for funding research activity across the NHS and replace in a more co-ordinated way the support hitherto provided from budgets held at the Department's regional offices. I am placing in the Library a copy of a position paper published in February 2001.

Widdrington Health Centre

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place between NHS officials and the district valuer about the planned Widdrington Health Centre, Northumberland; and whether agreement has been reached in time for the funds available from the single regeneration budget to be used for the project.

Jacqui Smith: Discussions between Northumberland health authority and the district valuer, concerning the rental levels for the buildings of the new Widdrington Health Centre, are ongoing and a final settlement is expected very shortly. Single Regeneration Budget funds have been identified to provide optometry and dental facilities within the health centre and agreement has been reached for these funds to be used within the 200102 and 200203 financial years.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Correspondence/Parliamentary Questions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library for each year since 1995 the average response time for providing a substantive answer to (a) hon. Member's correspondence, (b) correspondence from members of the public and (c) written parliamentary questions in the (i) House of Commons and (ii) House of Lords;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library for each year since 1995 the total number of (a) letters from hon. Members, (b) letters from members of the public and (c) parliamentary questions from (i) hon. Members and (ii) Lords dealt with by his Department; what percentage took (A) more than one month and (B) more than three months to provide a substantive answer; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
	General information on the volumes of correspondence received across Whitehall and on overall performance is published by the Cabinet Office. Figures for 2000 were published on 6 April 2001, Official Report, columns 32428W and on 19 July 2001, columns 45456W.
	
		Total number of parliamentary questions by parliamentary session since 1995
		
			   Percentage  
			 Session Total Over one month Over three months 
		
		
			 Commons
			 199596 2,667 1.50 0 
			 199697 17 0 0 
			 199798 3,666 1.67 0 
			 199899 2,173 0.41 0 
			 19992000 2,878 0.14 0.04 
			 200001 1,254 0.56 0 
			 
			 Lords
			 199596 148 0 0 
			 199697 2 0 0 
			 199798 208 2.4 0 
			 199899 0 0 0 
			 19992000 151 0 0 
			 200001 43 0 0

Workstep Programme

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the workstep programme, with particular reference to (a) progression to open employment and (b) maintenance of an infrastructure for sheltered employment.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 31 October 2001
	Workstep was introduced on 1 April 2001 and replaces the supported employment programme. It is designed to help disabled people progress to working without support and to provide longer-term support for those who need it. Our targets for progression into open employment are around 10 per cent. from among existing participants and 30 per cent. from people joining Workstep after 1 April this year.
	However, we have been very clear that no one should be pressurised to progress from the programme if this is not the right choice for them. Longer-term support will still be available for supported employees who need it. But it is equally important that they have access to the development opportunities the programme will offer in the longer-term.

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many left the new deal for lone parents whose youngest child is aged (a) five to 11 and (b) 11 to 16 years in each year since the inception of the new deal, broken down by destination.

Nick Brown: The information is in the table.
	
		Numbers leaving NDLP by destination to July 2001Great Britain
		
			Thousand  
			   Left income support Still on income support  
			 Period Total Employment(10) Transfer to other benefits(11) Ineligible(12) Employment(10),(13) Withdrawn for other reasons(14) Unknown destination(15) 
		
		
			  October 1998-September 1999   
			  Age of youngest child(16) 
			 04 7.66 2.10 0.04 0.15 0.07 4.79 0.50 
			 511 7.46 2.11 0.03 0.12 0.09 4.65 0.46 
			 1216 1.89 0.60 0.06 0.07 0.02 1.03 0.11 
			 Not recorded(17) 6.50 4.38 0.11 0.31 0.02 1.45 0.23 
			 October 1999-September 2000   
			  Age of youngest child(16) 
			 04 21.74 10.65 0.13 0.54 0.11 9.60 0.72 
			 511 20.80 11.00 0.09 0.45 0.17 8.45 0.64 
			 1216 5.93 3.32 0.34 0.24 0.02 1.81 0.20 
			 Not recorded(17) 4.12 2.02 0.06 0.16 0.03 1.70 0.16 
			 
			  October 2000-July 2001   
			  Age of youngest child(16) 
			 04 20.24 10.27 0.12 0.55 0.09 8.63 0.58 
			 511 17.94 9.76 0.08 0.40 0.13 7.08 0.49 
			 1216 5.76 3.33 0.37 0.20 0.04 1.67 0.15 
			 Not recorded(17) 1.34 0.53 0.03 0.08 0.00 0.64 0.06 
		
	
	(10) These totals do not include people who have moved into full-time work but remain on the NDLP caseload as they are in receipt of in-work support.
	(11) Includes those making a claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) in order to join the New Deal for 1824 year olds or the new deal for the long-term unemployed. Excludes lone parents who claim JSA in order to access work based learning for adults/training for work.
	(12) Those lone parents who become ineligible for NDLP due to a change in circumstances, e.g. partnering.
	(13) Lone parents working less than 16 hours in an average week, and remaining on income support. A very small number found employment after their initial interview but before joining the caseload. These are no counted in the Total leavers column.
	(14) Lone parents who leave the programme but remain on income support for a number of reasons, e.g. change in childcare arrangements, new additions to the family, etc.
	(15) Currently it is not known whether these people are on income support or not.
	(16) Age of youngest child when attended initial interview.
	(17) This figure includes children from each of the above age ranges.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

Jobcentre Plus

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which is the most accessible pathfinder jobcentre available to residents in the Vale of York; and if he will make a statement on the type of advice which will be provided by that jobcentre.

Nick Brown: We are establishing a new business that draws together the Employment Service and the parts of the Benefits Agency which support people of working age. This new business is called Jobcentre Plus and will come into being at the end of this financial year. To demonstrate the improved and more work-focused service we intend to offer in Jobcentre Plus, we are putting in place around 49 pathfinder offices throughout the country from 22 October.
	Jobcentre Plus will offer a significantly enhanced telephone service that will improve access to the service for those who do not live near a Jobcentre Plus office. Each Jobcentre Plus pathfinder office will have a dedicated telephone contact centre open from 8.30am to 6.00pm. Customers will be able to make their initial claim to benefit through this service and book appointments with personal advisers. Customers will also be able to access job vacancies over the telephone through Employment Service Direct.
	Jobcentre Plus will also have its own internet site with information on the service and links to the Employment Service job bank and worktrain sites, which offer a vast range of job and training opportunities and advice on job searching.
	There are several Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices in rural locations, and the managers in those places will be further developing the service they offer to meet the needs of rural communities.
	The development of services for people in rural communities is not confined to the Jobcentre Plus pathfinders, with both the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service already undertaking valuable outreach work. In North Yorkshire, for example, the Northallerton and Richmond Jobcentres are engaged in outreach work to some of their outlying rural areas. Vacancy lists are put on display in a large number of local post offices and Jobcentre clinics are held in three locationsHawes, Leyburn and Catterickfor half a day each week.

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in the new Jobcentre Plus offices (a) have been fully trained, (b) are undertaking training programmes and (c) are waiting to begin their training.

Nick Brown: 3,840 staff in the Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices have been fully trained, 648 are undertaking training programmes and 295 are waiting to begin their training. Over 80 per cent. of staff are fully trained as of 30 October. Every member of staff should be fully trained by the end of November.

Jobcentre Plus

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received regarding safety procedures and safety precautions in Jobcentre Plus Pathfinder offices; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus is a new service which brings together the Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency which deal with people of working age. Jobcentre Plus will provide a far more personalised, customer friendly and work-focused service for both employers and individuals. The first 49 Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices opened on 22 October.
	Central to the new service is our ability to provide face-to-face advice to members of the public. That can be done only in a predominantly unscreened environment. To that end we have invested considerable sums of money in building a far more friendly and safer environment than any we have had in the past. In particular, we take the issue of the safety of both the public and our staff very seriously. We have therefore been involved in discussions with the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) about their members' concerns about the new working arrangements, both at national and local level.
	Employment Service and Land Securities Trillium risk assessors have carried out risk assessments in each pathfinder office. Drawing on those assessments, and following consultation with local trade union health and safety representatives, we have introduced a series of extra security measures. These include: wide coverage by closed circuit television; training for staff in how to handle difficult situations; better management in each office to avoid difficult situations building up; panic alarms; and more visible and more effective security guards. Additionally, in each pathfinder area there are screened facilities to deal with individuals and parts of the business which pose a greater risk. All pathfinder risk assessments will be reviewed in November and any additional security measures recommended by these reviews will be introduced. We believe that these measures demonstrate that we are taking staff safety seriously.

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received about the layout and furnishings of the new Jobcentre Plus offices.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus is a new service which brings together the Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency which deal with people of working age. Jobcentre Plus will provide a far more personalised, customer friendly and work-focused service for both employers and individuals. The first 49 Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices opened on 22 October. Central to this new service is our ability to provide face-to-face advice to members of the public. That can be done only in a predominantly unscreened environment.
	We have been involved in lengthy discussions with the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) regarding our proposals in respect of layout and furnishings including the generic risk assessment process. We have also consulted with the Health and Safety Executive and professionals in the field of office design.
	We have consequently invested considerable sums of money in building a friendly and safe environment which not only looks radically different but also supports the service delivery aspirations of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what resources will be available to staff in the new Jobcentre Plus offices to ensure that claimants are made aware of their full benefit entitlement.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus is a new service which brings together the Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency which deal with people of working age. Jobcentre Plus will provide a far more personalised, customer friendly and work-focused service for both employers and individuals. The first 49 Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices opened on 22 October.
	People wanting to make a claim to benefit in Jobcentre Plus offices will be encouraged to make initial contact by phone. The member of staff in the call centre will use a script which is designed to help them identify the customer's benefit entitlement. The customer will then have an appointment in a Jobcentre Plus office. At this meeting a member of customer service staff, who is specially trained in benefit information, will explore the customer's benefit needs in more detail. The benefits systems will also support staff in providing full and detailed advice across welfare benefits.
	Customers will also be offered review meetings, which will allow Jobcentre Plus staff to keep in touch with them from both a labour market and a benefit perspective.

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training programmes have been initiated in order to ensure that all staff in the new Jobcentre Plus offices are able to provide claimants with the best service possible.

Nick Brown: Each individual member of staff within the Jobcentre Plus pathfinders has their training needs identified in conjunction with their line manager. This information then forms a personal training plan for that individual. The training is planned so that when they are required to start their job, they have completed and consolidated all their necessary training.
	The training programmes fit into three different areas: IT and telephony, procedural, and the New Beginnings programme. The latter introduces the individual to the new Jobcentre Plus new culture and expectations. The procedural training is job specific and ensures that individuals know how to do their job. The IT and telephony training shows staff how to use the new IT and telephony systems.
	The three types of training, delivered to the right people at the right time, has ensured and will ensure that individuals have the skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver the best service possible to the public within Jobcentre Plus.

Occupational Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to discuss recent trends in occupational pension provision with the occupational pension industry; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Department holds regular meetings with representatives of the pensions industry. These discussions include an assessment of trends in occupational pension schemes and other forms of retirement savings and the role Government can play in supporting and encouraging pension provision.
	The Government acknowledge the contribution that occupational pension schemes play in the provision of income in retirement and want to encourage continued employer involvement. As part of the process of reform and support, we have already announced the replacement of the minimum funding requirement and the simplification review of pensions regulation, led by Alan Pickering.

Social Security Regulations

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reason was given to him by the Social Security Advisory Committee for its decision not to examine the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001; what discussions he had with the Social Security Advisory Committee prior to that decision; and if he will publish the minutes of such discussions.

Nick Brown: holding answer 2 November 2001
	The Social Security Advisory Committee considered these regulations and decided, under section 173 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, that these regulations need not be formally referred to them. Under the Act the committee is not obliged to give my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State a reason for its decision and does not normally do so. My right hon. Friend had no discussions with the committee prior to that decision.

Social Security (Scotland)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was the level of spending on social security in Scotland in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the United Kingdom total, broken down to show spending on (i) benefit payments, (ii) Scotland's pro-rata share of United Kingdom administration costs and (iii) actual spending on central and local administration and the branch network for facilities in Scotland.

Nick Brown: holding answer 2 November 2001
	Information is not available in the format requested. However, analysis of social security expenditure by country, region and per head of population for the years 199596 to 19992000 is available in HM Treasury's publication Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 200102, published in April 2001 under Command Number 5101.

Asylum Seekers

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of forgery of the standard acknowledgement letters issued to asylum seekers have been detected in the last 12 months; and what the value of benefits involved was.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 1 November 2001
	The information is as follows.
	1. Figures are not kept centrally within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for forgery of Standard Acknowledgement Letters (SALs). The Immigration Service National Forgery Section (NFS) is a national unit specialising in document fraud. In the last 12 months (from 31 October 2000 to 31 October 2001), the NFS was asked by the Immigration Service and other enforcement agencies or departments to examine 121 SALs of which 111 were found to be fraudulent. Of these, 104 were counterfeit and seven forged.
	2. Many of the documents examined by NFS were examples of large batches of suspected fraudulent SALs detected in various operations conducted by the police and Immigration Service. Four such operations alone, conducted in various parts of the country during the past 12 months, are known to have involved over 2,000 counterfeit SALs, with more detections expected as operations continue.
	3. In the operations which the NFS was associated with, the most frequent use of fraudulent SALs was to obtain illegal employment. While a limited number of examinations of SALs were conducted of documents presented at Benefits Agency offices, the NFS does not have information about the value of any benefits that might have been involved.

DEFENCE

HMS Fearless

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the new date for the withdrawal of HMS Fearless is; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There is no new date for the withdrawal of HMS Fearless. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces to the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr. Duncan Smith) on 19 December 2000, Official Report, column 93W.

Tanks (Desert Conditions)

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of converting the tanks of 1 UK Armoured Division for desert conditions.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) on 5 November 2001, Official Report, columns 2425W, which sets out the estimated cost of converting Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks (CR2 MBTs) for desert conditions. The establishment for one (UK) Armoured Division, post Strategic Defence Review, is 174 CR2 MBTs. Depending on which desertation option were used, the estimated cost for 174 CR2 MBTs would therefore be either 24.36 million or 43.5 million.

Exercise Saif Sareea

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the type and number of UK armoured vehicles and tanks that were in Oman for Saif Sareea II, stating in each case the percentage of those vehicles that were considered (a) fully serviceable and (b) unserviceable during the exercise; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The types and number of each UK armoured vehicle, including tanks, that were in Oman for Saif Sareea II, are as follows: 65 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks; 49 Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles; 12 AS90 self propelled artillery; and 269 reconnaissance and other armoured vehicles.
	The serviceability of these vehicles varied through the exercise as they passed through operational and maintenance cycles. The average percentage availability of each armoured vehicle type throughout the main period of the exercise was as follows: Challenger 2 83 per cent.; Warrior 83 per cent.; AS90 71 per cent.; and reconnaissance and other armoured vehicles 80 per cent.
	Overall the armoured vehicle fleet, and indeed the rest of the UK military equipment deployed on Saif Sareea, performed very effectively.

Exercise Saif Sareea

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the percentage rate of serviceability of helicopters on exercise Saif Sareea was; what the principal cause of helicopter non-serviceability was; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The average rate of helicopter serviceability achieved during the whole period of Exercise Saif Sareea was 54.5 per cent. The overall serviceability of helicopters on the exercise was affected by the requirement to conduct non-exercise related maintenance on a number of airframes. More generally, Exercise Saif Sareea provided our aviation assets with valuable experience of operating in a demanding desert environment. The impact on overall serviceability was one of a number of key factors. There was no single, principal cause of helicopter unserviceability.

Exercise Saif Sareea

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the conclusions of the evaluation of equipment deployed in Operation Saif Sareea.

Geoff Hoon: The process of evaluating performance during Exercise Saif Sareea and identifying lessons for our future operations and exercises is already under way, and will address equipment serviceability. Much of the information captured in this process will be of an operationally sensitive nature. Accordingly, there are no plans to publish it.

Sea Harriers

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from ground support staff at Yeovilton about the proposal to relocate the Sea Harriers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: No representations have been received about the proposal to relocate the Sea Harriers.

Nuclear Installations (Security)

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to deploy (a) armed forces personnel and (b) reservists for key point duty to guard nuclear power stations; and if he will estimate the full cost of such a deployment over one year.

Adam Ingram: Security at nuclear power stations is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry and the police, who can request the support of the armed forces to guard these and other key points should other resources prove insufficient. There have been no such requests during the last year and costs would, in the event, fall to the requesting authority.

Nuclear Installations (Security)

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Defence Secretary on the issue of air exclusion zones over civil nuclear plants; whether there is to be a joint US-UK policy on this issue; and if he will make a statement on current RAF plans to defend the Sellafield nuclear site from aerial attack.

Geoff Hoon: Since 11 September, Ministers and officials in a number of Government Departments have been in discussions with their US counterparts on a range of domestic security issues, though not specifically about air exclusion zones over civil nuclear plants.
	The Royal Air Force has an established and well-practised air defence capability which is ready to detect, deter and destroy any aircraft intending to attack any target within the UK, including civil nuclear plants. Some improvements have been made to our air defence posture since 11 September. I am withholding details of these improvements in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Nor can I disclose the details of security measures taken at individual civil nuclear sites.

Support Amphibious and Battlefield Rotorcraft Project

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce an initial acquisition contract for the SABR project; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Support Amphibious and Battlefield Rotorcraft programme is designed to replace the capability provided by the Sea King Mk4 and Puma helicopter around the turn of the decade. The project is in its early stages and we have yet to decide how the capability requirement will best be met. It is too soon, therefore, to say when acquisition contracts might be placed.

Recruitment (Ethnic Minorities)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about (a) the composition of and (b) the work of the Specialist Ethnic Minority Recruiting and Diversity Action Teams.

Adam Ingram: The Ethnic Minority Recruiting Teams (named 'Diversity Action Team' in the naval service) consist of a mix of ranks, male and female, who are chosen with the aim of providing approachable role models for potential recruits. Team members are based in areas with high ethnic minority populations.
	The naval service team consists of two officers, three senior ratings and five junior ratings with two civilians. The Army team consists of one officer and five senior NCOs, supplemented by a further nine junior NCOs who are volunteers from their units and serve on six month attachments. The RAF team consists of one officer, seven senior NCOs and four junior NCOs.
	The teams work with the ethnic minority target audience to raise awareness of the armed forces, help to provide individuals with an accurate picture of life in each service, and provide advice on the career opportunities the services offer. They participate in many events and activities across the UK, such as careers fairs, visits to schools and colleges, community cultural and religious centres and youth organisations. They give presentations and talk to ethnic minority youth, offer careers advice and help candidates prepare for interviews, and nurture potential candidates.

European Security and Defence Policy

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to meet the capability requirement of the European Security and Defence Policy's Headline Goal.

Geoff Hoon: At last year's Capability Commitments Conference, the UK identified a pool of forces and capabilities as its contribution towards achievement of the Headline Goal. All national contributions to the Headline Goal are made on a voluntary basis. Their commitment to an individual operation would depend on priorities and other commitments at the time.
	UK forces can operate across the full range of Petersberg tasks, including the most demanding. In the maximum scale operation envisaged at Helsinkia corps level deployment of up to 60,000the UK component could be about 12,500 strong. Maritime and air deployments of up to 18 warships and 72 combat aircraft could be made in addition.
	At the forthcoming Capabilities Improvement Conference, I will present further information on UK plans aimed at addressing some of the shortfalls identified since last year's conference. The UK contribution is and will continue to be consistent with our commitments to NATO. It is high quality and focused on key enabling capabilities.

European Security and Defence Policy

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the next meeting between the European Security and Defence Policy's political and military committees and their NATO counterparts will take place.

Geoff Hoon: The EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC) and NATO's North Atlantic Council (NAC) as well as the EU's and NATO's respective Military Committees meet on a regular basis and at least once per Presidency. Further meetings may be requested.
	Both of the mandated meetings have already been held during the current Belgian Presidency, although a further meeting between the two Military Committees is provisionally planned for 3 December 2001. Meetings will be programmed during the forthcoming Spanish Presidency between January and June 2002; a PSC/NAC meeting is provisionally planned for 14 May 2002.

Fylingdales and Menwith Hill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the role of (a) Fylingdales and (b) Menwith Hill in performing communications services in connection with action against terrorism.

Adam Ingram: RAF Fylingdales provides the UK with early warning of ballistic missile attack against the UK and Western Europe, and the US with early warning for North America. It does not perform a communications role.
	RAF Menwith Hill is an integral part of the world-wide US Department of Defense communications network, which supports UK, US and NATO interests. Information concerning detailed operations at the base, including any role in performing communications services in connection with actions against terrorism, is withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on access to Government Information on the grounds of national security.

Defence Aviation and Repair Agency

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome was of the investment appraisal conducted by the Defence Aviation Repair Agency into options to provide modern infrastructure for its Aircraft Business Unit, referred to on 20 November 2000, Official Report, column 8W.

Adam Ingram: The investment appraisal looking into the infrastructure options for DARA's Fixed Wing Aircraft Business Unit is due to be completed in January 2002.

UK Service Men (Race Relations)

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice his Department provides to UK service men to inform them of their rights under the Race Relations Act 1976 when working on sovereign bases overseas; and if he will make a copy available in the Library.

Adam Ingram: The armed forces aim to achieve a working environment free from harassment, intimidation and unlawful discrimination wherever personnel are located. Guidance disseminated by the armed services reflects this policy and makes clear that any individual has the right to pursue a complaint through the internal redress procedures. All such complaints are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Although the Race Relations Act 1976 may not in all circumstances apply to personnel serving in the sovereign bases overseas, our own policies and internal procedures do not differentiate between service personnel in different locations.

UK Service Men (Race Relations)

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is possible for UK service men serving on sovereign bases overseas to bring a case against the Ministry of Defence under the Race Relations Act 1976.

Adam Ingram: The Race Relations Act 1976 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate on racial grounds against an employee in relation to employment at an establishment in Great Britain. In this context sovereign bases do not form part of the territory of Great Britain.
	Section 8 of the Race Relations Act provides that employment will be regarded as being at an establishment in Great Britain unless the employee does his work wholly outside Great Britain. Therefore, whether a member of the armed forces serving on a sovereign base (or elsewhere outside Great Britain) could bring a complaint under the Race Relations Act 1976 would depend upon whether the alleged act or acts of discrimination took place at a time when he or she worked wholly outside Great Britain. If the complaint related to a period when that person did not work wholly outside Great Britain then the Act would be applicable.

Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what allowance he has made for using existing aircraft on the new aircraft carriers.

Lewis Moonie: The Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) will be configured to operate the Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) as its primary aircraft. In addition to FJCA, the current CVF requirement document sets out a number of aircraft which should be considered for operation in a secondary role. This includes existing fixed and rotary wing aircraft which are compatible with carrier operations. Use of existing aircraft will depend, among other things, on their operational capability when CVF enters servicecurrently planned for 2012.

Gibraltar Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to recruit from the Gibraltar regiment in order to offset the shortfall in armed forces personnel.

Adam Ingram: There are no such plans.

Armed Forces (Non-married Partners)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and women are living with partners to whom they are not married but who are recognised as falling within the scope of benefits payable under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

Adam Ingram: None. Unmarried partners are not currently recognised as eligible for benefits under the terms of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. We have no reliable data on the numbers affected. All three services are currently involved in work to examine whether or not unmarried people living in partnership should receive benefits similar to those received by married couples. This work is designed to provide more factual and authoritative information than is currently available, including on numbers.

Armed Forces (Non-married Partners)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces occupy married quarters with partners to whom they are not married.

Lewis Moonie: Entitlement to Service Families Accommodation (SFA) is based mainly on marital status and includes lone parents with dependent children for whom they have prime responsibility. It is also applied to certain single service personnel when serving in specific appointments. Service personnel are not allowed to occupy SFA to cohabit with a partner who is not their legal spouse. If such cases come to light, they are advised that they are in breach of their licence, and unless they regularise the position, they are issued with a notice to vacate the property.

Armed Forces (Non-married Partners)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the rules governing death-in-service benefits for the non-married partners of servicemen and women are within the scope of the review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

Adam Ingram: Following a review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, proposals for a new scheme were issued for public consultation in March of this year. These proposals did not specifically cover benefits for unmarried partners though the issue had been considered during the initial stage of the review when it was considered that change was not appropriate. The issue was raised in responses to the public consultation and will be given further consideration as we take the review forward.

HOME DEPARTMENT

HMP Downview

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will decide on whether HMP Downview will be a local prison; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The tactical use of the prison estate is a matter for the Director General of the Prison Service. The particular type of prisoner that is held in each prison changes depending on the profile of the national prison population. The Prison Service Management Board regularly reviews the use of the estate. The current pressure on women's prisons means that Downview is being used to hold convicted and sentenced prisoners.
	The Prison Service will continue to identify the most suitable accommodation for the projected numbers and types of prisoners; this will include consideration on whether Downview will hold remand prisoners.
	I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman is advised if the decision is taken to place remand prisoners into Downview.

HMP Downview

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the costs broken down to include overtime, detached duty allowances and hotel costs arising from employment of female prison staff detached from other prisons to HMP Downview between 17 July and 31 December.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 7 November 2001
	Regular assessments are made on the continued need for the employment of female staff from other prisons at Downview. The number of staff required is dependent on the need to safely accommodate the numbers of women sent to prison custody by the courts.
	Female detached duty staff commenced during October reaching a maximum of 20 officers. Based on this staffing level, the monthly costs are estimated to be 57,000 for detached duty costs (including accommodation costs) and 16,200 for contract hours (overtime). Were this staffing level to remain until 31 December, the estimate for the total costs is 171,000 for detached duty costs and 48,600 for contract hours.

HMP Downview

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the cost of renovating C wing at HMP Downview to be suitable for female remand prisoners; and what account was taken of such estimates in the advice which he received on converting Downview to a female prison.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 7 November 2001
	A decision has not yet been taken on whether Downview prison will hold remand prisoners. Initial views are that C wing does not lend itself for an easy or cost-effective conversion to hold remand prisoners. Detailed estimates for such a renovation or for replacing it with a new accommodation block have not yet been carried out.
	The decision to select Downview as the prison needing to change function to hold women prisoners was based on a number of criteria including its geographical location, ability to relocate the existing male population and an assessment of the future shape of the prison estate. Funding for a change of function had been secured under a previous spending review settlement; the Prison Service has not requested further funding for this change. I will ensure that the hon. Member is advised if the decision is taken to place remand prisoners into Downview.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of racial harassment were reported to the National Asylum Support Service's Investigations Team by asylum seekers, concerning the behaviour of accommodation providers or their agents in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001, broken down by (i) month and (ii) region.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The number of allegations of racial harassment reported to the National Asylum Support Service Investigations Team concerning the behaviour of accommodation providers or their agents in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			 Year/Month Number 
		
		
			 2000  
			 October 6 
			 November 3 
			 December 3 
			   
			 2001  
			 January 2 
			 February 2 
			 March 4 
			 April 4 
			 May 2 
			 June 1 
			 July 0 
			 August 1 
			 September 4 
			 October 1 
		
	
	The figures are not broken down by region. These figures represent the reports which the Investigation Section received and information on who reported the incident is not recorded. Figures are unavailable for the period before the Investigations Team became fully operational.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum applicants were removed from the UK in each month since 1 April; and how many of these were (a) principal applicants and (b) dependants of a principal applicant.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The number of asylum seekers who were removed from the United Kingdom in each month from April 2001 onwards is given in the table. Information more recent than June is not yet available.
	
		
			 Month Total asylum seekers(18) removed(19),(20) Principal applicants removed(19),(20) Dependants removed(19),(20) 
		
		
			 April 830 780 55 
			 May 915 870 45 
			 June 840 730 115 
		
	
	(18) Persons who had sought asylum at some point.
	(19) Provisional figures, rounded to the nearest five. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	(20) Includes persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons leaving under the Voluntary Assisted Returns Programme.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum appeals, having been received by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, are awaiting onward transmission to the Immigration Appellate Authority; and how many asylum appeals, having been forwarded by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, are awaiting determination by the Immigration Appellate Authority.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	Provisional data indicate that on 31 July 2001 there were approximately 41,000 asylum appeals lodged with Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) which had not been sent to the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). For every appeal lodged, IND has to review the grounds advanced and may as a consequence need to reconsider all the circumstances of the case. Appeals are not forwarded to the IAA until this consideration has been completed and appeal papers have been prepared.
	On 31 July 2001 there were approximately 17,010 asylum cases awaiting determination by the IAA at adjudicator level, 981 cases awaiting leave to appeal to the Immigration Appellate Tribunal and 824 cases awaiting determination by the Immigration Appellate Tribunal.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of racial harassment were reported to the National Asylum Support Service's Investigations Team by asylum seekers, concerning the behaviour of resident communities in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001, broken down by (i) month and (ii) region; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The number of allegations of racial harassment reported to the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) Investigations Team concerning the behaviour of resident communities in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000  
			 May (21)4 
			 June (21)19 
			 July (21)38 
			 August (21)46 
			 September (21)36 
			 October 27 
			 November 32 
			 December 25 
			   
			 2001  
			 January 39 
			 February 61 
			 March 44 
			 April 42 
			 May 56 
			 June 65 
			 July 61 
			 August 96 
			 September 58 
			 October 112 
		
	
	(21) The Performance Monitoring Investigations Section (PMI) became fully operational in October 2000. Figures prior to October 2000 represent those cases reported to the Investigations Sections. Further allegations may have been investigated within the wider Operations Section within NASS but there are no statistics for this.
	The figures are not broken down by region. These figures represent the reports which the Investigation Section received and information on who reported the incident is not recorded.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken from receipt of an asylum appeal to the Immigration Appellate Authority is, (b) determination of the appeal by an adjudicators and (c) final determination of the appeal by the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	For the 12 months ending 31 July 2001, data from the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) for those cases where data are available indicate that the cumulative average times taken from the receipt of an asylum appeal by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to:
	(a) the receipt of an appeal by the IAA is eight weeks;
	(b) the determination by an adjudicator is 24 weeks;
	(c) the final determination by the Immigration Appeal Tribunal is 42 weeks.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications are awaiting an initial decision by the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The most recent available figure shows 43,100 asylum applications awaiting an initial decision at the end of August 2001. This figure has been rounded to the nearest hundred. A physical count was ordered by the Home Secretary to ensure absolute validity of the statistics. Problems with the backlog figures had arisen from an accumulation of errors since the last manual count of outstanding asylum applications in 1996.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum applicants were removed from the UK in each financial year since 199394.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	The information requested, where available, is given in the table. These figures exclude dependants. Financial year information prior to 199596 is not available.
	
		
			 Year Asylum seekers(22) removed(23),(24) 
		
		
			 199596 3,540 
			 199697 5,705 
			 199798 7,010 
			 199899 7,185 
			 19992000 7,915 
			 200001 (25)8,930 
		
	
	(22) Persons who had sought asylum at some point, excluding dependants.
	(23) Figures rounded to the nearest five.
	(24) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons leaving under the Voluntary Assisted Returns Programme.
	(25) Provisional figure.
	Information on the number of asylum seekers removed from the United Kingdom is published regularly in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library, and via the RDS website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions have been issued to National Asylum Support Service caseworkers investigating incidents of racial harassment regarding police reports; if reports by third parties are considered; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	Casework instructions have been issued to the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) caseworkers investigating incidents of racial harassment. All incidents and alleged incidents of racial harassment are taken seriously and are investigated by the Performance Monitoring Investigations Section (PMI) within NASS. All incidents are investigated in the same way irrespective of whether they have been reported directly by the victim, their representative or a third party.

Asylum Seekers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the administrative costs of the introduction of the voucher scheme for asylum seekers were.

Angela Eagle: Vouchers were introduced on 3 April 2000 when the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) assumed responsibility for providing support to destitute asylum seekers.
	Total staffing and related administrative costs of NASS for the period 3 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, including the costs of processing application forms, allocating accommodation and administering the voucher scheme were 15.6 million 1 . Vouchers are printed and distributed by third party providers under contract to the Home Office and payments made under the voucher contract are included in the administrative costs of NASS. Details of payments made under this contract are commercially confidential.
	1 Figure rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.

Asylum Seekers

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what status is given to unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the United Kingdom who are found not to qualify for (a) asylum and (b) exceptional leave to remain for humanitarian reasons but who cannot be removed from the United Kingdom.

Angela Eagle: It is our policy not to remove a failed asylum seeker from the United Kingdom if he or she is unaccompanied and under 18 years of age unless adequate reception arrangements can be made in the country of origin. Until now, if reception arrangements could not be made, four years' exceptional leave to remain has been granted.
	We have now decided that if a failed asylum seeker who has no other basis to remain in the United Kingdom is aged between 14 and 17 at the time a decision is made and adequate reception arrangements cannot be made, he or she will be granted a period of exceptional leave until his or her 18th birthday. He or she will be able to apply for further leave at the end of this period in the same way as anyone else, but will be expected to leave the United Kingdom if he or she does not so apply or any application is rejected.
	If a failed asylum seeker, for whom adequate reception arrangements cannot be made, is still aged under 14 at the time the asylum decision is made, he or she will continue to be granted four years' exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom in view of age and vulnerability. This will enable Local Authority social services departments to plan for the child's long term future. The child will then be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom in the same way as adults who have completed four years' exceptional leave. In this way, we are continuing to protect children while they are in need but closing a loophole which affords settlement in the United Kingdom to those who would not normally qualify.

Immigration Advisers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations giving immigration advice for profit are registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner; and how many such individuals and organisations are in the process of registering with OISC.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2001
	I understand that, as of 5 November 2001, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) had registered 130 immigration advisers in business for profit. Of these, 83 are sole practitioners and 47 are organisations comprising two or more practitioners. The OISC has under consideration 15 registration applications from sole practitioners and eight from organisations comprising two or more practitioners.

Identity Cards

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the value of (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary identity cards in combating terrorism in the United Kingdom.

Angela Eagle: The Government have no plans to introduce a compulsory or voluntary identity card scheme as part of their response to the atrocities in the United States on 11 September.
	However the policy on identity cards is kept under review and the Government are considering whether a universal card which allowed people to prove their identity more easily and provided a simple way to access a range of public services would be beneficial. Such an entitlement card scheme could also help to combat illegal working which disproportionately affects the poorer sections of our society by undercutting the minimum wage and encouraging unscrupulous employers. It could also reduce fraud against individuals, public services and the private sector.
	The Government do not consider that an entitlement card scheme would have a significant effect in combating terrorism in the United Kingdom.
	The introduction of an entitlement card would be a major step and the Government would not proceed without consulting widely and considering all the views expressed very carefully.

Rape Crisis Centres

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding of rape crisis centres.

John Denham: The Home Office started to fund the Rape Crisis Federation with effect from 1 April 2001 for its work in supporting the network of rape crisis centres throughout the country. This year's grant is 406,000.

Police Fraud Teams

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the (a) size and (b) case load of police fraud teams in each year since 1996.

John Denham: (a) I am afraid that this information is not kept centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, for the last two years Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has collected data from all forces in England and Wales according to a range of 62 staff functions, one of which is fraud. The staff function for fraud is defined as staff who predominantly investigate fraud cases (not including staff who are predominantly employed in asset confiscation duties) and staff who are predominantly employed to support the investigation of fraud cases (not including staff who are predominantly employed to support asset confiscation duties). The data are as follows:
	
		
			   19992000  200001  
			 Police force area Police officer Civilian staff Police officer Civilian staff 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 17 1 15 2 
			 Bedfordshire 8 1 13 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 0 6 0 
			 Cheshire 16 0 15 3 
			 City of London 74 12 70 11 
			 Cleveland 10 0 10 0 
			 Cumbria 4 0 4 0 
			 Derbyshire 10 1 12 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10 0 18 5 
			 Dorset 13 1 14 2 
			 Durham 5 0 4 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7 0 5 1 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucester 8 1 8 1 
			 Greater Manchester 36 0 35 0 
			 Gwent 5 0 5 0 
			 Hampshire 11 3 12 3 
			 Hertfordshire 10 0 11 0 
			 Humberside 9 1 10 1 
			 Kent 14 4 13 11 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicester 0 0 7 0 
			 Lincolnshire 7 0 7 0 
			 Merseyside 0 4 0 4 
			 Metropolitan police 118 0 68 2 
			 Norfolk 7 0 7 0 
			 North Wales 9 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 6 0 6 0 
			 Northamptonshire 8 2 8 4 
			 Northumbria 14 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 11 1 17 1 
			 South Wales 15 2 3 0 
			 South Yorkshire 21 2 20 5 
			 Staffordshire 10 2 10 2 
			 Suffolk 6 0 8 2 
			 Surrey 12 0 17 3 
			 Sussex 2 1 0 2 
			 Thames Valley 15 4 15 5 
			 Warwickshire 1 0 6 1 
			 West Mercia 7 0 5 0 
			 West Midlands 28 12 29 9 
			 West Yorkshire 42 0 43 0 
			 Wiltshire 3 0 4 0 
			 England and Wales 616 55 560 84 
		
	
	(b) I am afraid that this information is not kept centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the recorded crime figures for fraud and forgery for all police forces in England and Wales between April 1996 and March 2001 are as follows:
	
		Fraud and forgery
		
			 Police force area April 1996 to March 1997 April 1997 to March 1998 April 1998(26) to March 1999 April 1999 to March 2000 April 2000 to March 2001 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 4,209 3,655 9,950 8,518 9,211 
			 Bedfordshire 2,027 1,742 4,114 4,760 4,299 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,491 1,375 2,389 3,251 2,780 
			 Cheshire 2,325 1,848 2,146 2,192 2,390 
			 Cleveland 1,350 1,525 2,261 2,744 2,880 
			 Cumbria 946 1,156 1,388 1,310 1,094 
			 Derbyshire 1,400 1,271 4,200 4,739 4,670 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,272 2,255 7,064 6,925 6,564 
			 Dorset 1,315 1,264 6,334 5,866 5,045 
			 Durham 1,193 1,163 1,311 1,314 1,394 
			 Essex 2,526 2,458 4,366 5,470 6,615 
			 Gloucestershire 1,551 1,484 2,527 3,284 3,105 
			 Greater Manchester 5,411 6,519 15,830 20,043 18,579 
			 Hampshire 3,998 3,669 5,130 6,393 5,847 
			 Hertfordshire 1,225 1,418 2,312 2,935 3,982 
			 Humberside 2,588 2,381 3,582 3,745 3,787 
			 Kent 2,879 3,034 5,687 7,387 7,965 
			 Lancashire 3,394 3,557 4,446 4,024 5,935 
			 Leicestershire 3,417 2,795 7,227 8,398 6,925 
			 Lincolnshire 1,344 1,144 2,723 1,641 1,662 
			 City of London 384 507 862 1,214 1,145 
			 Merseyside 3,999 4,275 4,884 4,794 5,021 
			 Metropolitan police 41,157 43,437 80,541 105,150 83,453 
			 Norfolk 1,222 1,056 2,488 3,251 2,742 
			 Northamptonshire 1,211 1,230 4,425 4,225 3,661 
			 Northumbria 2,017 2,315 4,991 5,022 5,365 
			 North Yorkshire 989 976 2,563 2,551 2,498 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,223 2,869 4,736 6,195 7,038 
			 South Yorkshire 2,567 2,262 3,951 4,794 5,551 
			 Staffordshire 2,106 2,196 3,830 4,885 6,083 
			 Suffolk 1,302 1,069 2,099 2,182 2,372 
			 Surrey 1,315 1,456 2,994 3,808 5,133 
			 Sussex 2,677 3,059 7,790 8,615 9,886 
			 Thames Valley 4,467 4,016 11,778 14,191 16,085 
			 Warwickshire 932 910 2,401 2,383 2,067 
			 West Mercia 1,960 1,865 3,961 4,210 3,898 
			 West Midlands 5,781 4,987 15,675 26,856 29,322 
			 West Yorkshire 5,034 5,458 10,608 11,533 10,626 
			 Wiltshire 914 824 1,933 2,086 2,200 
			 Dyfed-Powys 621 448 1,402 1,136 1,226 
			 Gwent 1,415 1,402 2,395 2,586 2,532 
			 North Wales 956 841 1,869 1,570 1,777 
			 South Wales 2,865 3,061 6,340 6,597 4,914 
			  
			 England and Wales total 135,975 136,232 279,503 334,773 319,324 
		
	
	(26) New Home Office counting rules were issued for recorded crime on 1 April 1998

Police Authority Vehicles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to police authorities on the purchase and hire of road vehicles.

John Denham: holding answer 6 November 2001
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 20 July 2001, Official Report, column 648W.
	In 1996 the Police Information Technology Organisation placed a leasing Framework for police vehicles with two suppliers. These arrangements are due to run until July 2002.

Forensic Laboratories

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average length of time it took each of the national forensic laboratories to complete an investigation, from referral to conclusion in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: Figures available to the Home Office only include the work of the Forensic Science Service in England and Wales. Response times vary dependent on the offence type. There can be more than one referral in an investigation. The average turn around time for individual referrals was 26 days for the 12-month period from April 2000 to March 2001. In the year to date since March 2001 the average turn round time was 28 days.

Forensic Laboratories

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forensic scientists were employed by the national forensic laboratories in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The average number of forensic scientists employed by the Home Office Forensic Science Service in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			  Year Number 
		
		
			 199697 814 
			 199798 855 
			 199899 1,027 
			 19992000 1,221 
			 200001 1,603

Departmental Assets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stocks of (a) antiques, (b) paintings and (c) fine wines are held by his Department; if he will list such assets sold over the last three years together with the sale proceeds from such transactions; what plans he has to sell further such assets over the period of the current Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: holding answer 31 October 2001
	Within its total estate the Home Office possesses the following recorded stocks of antiques, paintings and fine wines:
	Antiques
	5 (no.) Pair of chandeliers
	5 (no.) Chandeliers
	1 (no.) Wall lantern
	1 (no.) Hanging lantern
	1 (no.) Pair of hanging lanterns
	4 (no.) Wall brackets
	1 (no.) Card table
	2 (no.) Sofa tables
	2 (no.) Console tables
	2 (no.) Tea tables
	1 (no.) Coffee table
	1 (no.) Cricket table
	5 (no.) Side tables
	1 (no.) Refectory table
	1 (no.) Pair of refectory tables
	1 (no.) Dining table
	3 (no.) Billiards tables
	1 (no.) Loo table
	1 (no.) Armchair
	A set of 10 (no.) Side Chairs
	1 (no.) Chaise Longue
	A set of 12 (no.) Elbow chairs
	1 (no.) Pair of Elbow chairs
	A set of 6 (no.) Dining Chairs
	1 (no.) Long stool
	A set of 4 (no.) Benches
	A set of 9 (no.) Dining Chairs
	1 (no.) Joynt stool
	1 (no.) pair of standard chairs
	1 (no.) Settle
	3 (no.) Display cabinets
	3 (no.) Dressers
	3 (no.) Coffers
	A set of 4 (no.) Applique
	A set of 9 (no.) Applique
	1 (no.) Copper cistern
	A collection of copper and brass pans and bowls
	1 (no.) Wall mirror
	5 (no.) Pair of antlers on shields
	1 (no.) Stag's head on shield
	1 (no.) Navel officer's sword and scabbard
	1 (no.) Console
	1 (no.) Pianoforte
	A set of 7 (no.) Candelabrum
	1 (no.) Secretaire bookcase
	2 (no.) bookcases
	1 (no.) Bracket clock
	1 (no.) Standish
	2 (no.) Sliver chalices
	2 (no.) Statues
	9 (no.) Pairs of fire dogs
	8 (no.) Fire baskets
	2 (no.) Fire backs
	2 (no.) Persian carpets
	1 (no.) Caucasian rug
	1 (no.) Turkish carpet
	1 (no.) Carpet
	2 (no.) Tapestries
	3 (no.) Drawings
	1 (no.) Coloured print
	4 (no.) Engravings
	Paintings
	12 (no.) Paintings
	Fine Wines
	Nil.
	No antiques, paintings or fine wines have been sold during the past three years and there are no plans to sell any.
	None of these items are held centrally by the Home Office, but by those involved in training and service delivery. Some of these items are gifts provided by those visiting or taking part in seminars and conferences from overseas.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the working and implementation of antisocial behaviour orders; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: During the passage of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 a commitment was made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Alun Michael), the then Home Office Minister, to review antisocial behaviour orders after two years. The review is currently under way.

Fly Tipping

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were convicted of fly tipping in England in each year since 1997.

John Denham: holding answer 5 November 2001
	The available information, taken from the Home Office court proceedings database, showing the number of persons convicted of 'fly-tipping' offences in England during the period 1997 to 2000 is given in the table.
	
		Number of persons convicted of the given environmental offence at all courts, England 1997 to 2000
		
			 Offence description/principal statute Number of persons convicted 
		
		
			  Prohibition on unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal etc. of wasteEnvironmental Protection Act 1990 sec. 33 
			 1997 113 
			 1998 157 
			 1999 183 
			 2000(27) 199 
		
	
	(27) Excluding any convictions at magistrates courts in Staffordshire
	Note:
	All data are given on a principal offence basis

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will receive a determination on applications M 1103515 and M 1103516 from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Angela Eagle: The applicants' representative was requested on 19 October to provide additional evidence to enable us to give further consideration to these cases. A decision will be made as soon as possible after this has been received.

Special Constables

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reviewed the 1997 Her Majesty's inspectorate of contabulary conclusion that special constables should not be paid; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The Home Office funded two recent research studies which have made recommendations on the recruitment and retention of special constables 1 .
	Voluntary service to the community is a key element of the special constabulary but we are reviewing the allowances paid to special constables and a number of other options for achieving radical improvements in the conditions of service and the management of special constables.
	1 An Investigation into the Premature Wastage of Special Constables by Jackie Alexander. Home Office Police Research Unit, May 2000 (www.pras.org); and
	Attracting and Keeping Special Constables by Alan Hedges. July 2000 (circulated to all police forces July 2000).

Race Relations Act

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make changes to the authorisation under section 19D of the Race Relations Act 1976 concerning discrimination of the basis of ethnic or national origin in the examination of passengers.

Angela Eagle: My right hon. and noble Friend Lord Rooker has been reviewing the authorisation made on 23 April by his predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche)the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (No. 2) Authorisation 2001each month on the basis of statistical evidence and intelligence material produced by the Immigration Service. The authorisation permitted the Immigration Service to pay particular attention to arriving passengers from certain specified ethnic or national groups, namely Afghans, Albanians, Kurds, Pontic Greeks, Roma, Somalis, Tamils and persons of Chinese ethnic origin carrying Japanese or Malaysian travel documents.
	My right hon. and noble Friend has amended the authorisation to remove Pontic Greeks from the list of specified groups, on the grounds that while intelligence suggests that members of this group may pose a threat to the United Kingdom's immigration control in future, there is not sufficient evidence at present to maintain their current inclusion in the authorisation. The remaining groups covered by the authorisation remain unchanged.
	A copy of the authorisation has been placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

Parliamentary Questions

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she had with the hon. Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson), prior to Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland held on 6 November, regarding the content and wording of his supplementary oral question to her.

Helen Liddell: I have regular discussions with back- bench colleagues.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Parliamentary Questions

John Barrett: To ask the Advocate-General what discussions she had with the hon. Members for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson) and for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz), prior to Questions to the Advocate-General for Scotland on 6 November, regarding the content and wording of their supplementary oral questions to her.

Lynda Clark: I am always personally available to all hon. Members for discussion of any matter of interest to hon. Members, within my responsibilities as Advocate-General.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Magistrates Courts

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the extended magistrates' sitting hours pilots in Manchester and London are expected to commence; what funding has been identified to facilitate these; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Government plan to pilot studies to find the most cost-effective means of extending court hours. The aim is to test whether extended hours would have an impact on delays, deter local criminals, improve access to justice and help reassure local communities. Planning is under way involving all criminal justice partners in London and Manchester. The pilots are expected to start next year. Funding of 5.4 million has been identified to facilitate these.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the figures for women and men barristers who were judicial appointees at each level of the courts in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001 reflect the proportion of women and men called to the Bar between 10 and 15 years earlier.

Rosie Winterton: The relevant data are not readily available in the form requested and I will write to my hon. Friend. Statistics from the Judicial Appointments Annual Report for 200001 show the overall average years in practice at the time of appointment for the main competitions held was 21.0 years for both barristers and solicitors. Figures from the Bar Council show that 10.8 per cent. of barristers with over 20 years' experience were women. Figures in the Annual Report show that the proportion of women, both barristers and solicitors, appointed in open competitions in 200001 was 28.4 per cent.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) men and (b) women appointees to the judiciary in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001 were Queen's counsel at the time of their appointment.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of QCs appointed to the judiciary in open competitions in 199899, 19992000 and 200001 was 36, 35 and 53 respectively.
	Information on the gender breakdown is not readily to hand but I will write to my hon. Friend with the information.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) men and (b) women appointees to the judiciary in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001 were solicitors at the time of their appointment.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of solicitors appointed to the judiciary in open competitions in 199899, 19992000 and 200001 was 294, 211 and 277 respectively. Information on the gender breakdown is not readily to hand but I will write to my hon. Friend with the information.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the average ages were of (a) women and (b) men appointees to the full-time Crown court judiciary in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The information in the form requested is not readily available. Circuit judges are not generally appointed to sit exclusively in the Crown court. Many sit also in civil and family work and the balance of time spent sitting in the Crown court will vary between appointees and from one year to the next. The average age of candidates approved for appointment for the Circuit Bench in 200001 was 51.4 years. I will write to my hon. Friend with further information about appointments made to the Circuit Bench over the course of the last year showing the average age by female and male appointees.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) men and (b) women appointees to the judiciary in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001 were single parents at the time of their appointment.

Rosie Winterton: Information about marital status and children is not specifically sought from candidates and therefore no records are held. Members of the legal profession, irrespective of their background or personal circumstances are encouraged to apply for judicial office. Candidates are appointed on merit against the published criteria for appointment.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) women and (b) men appointed to the judiciary in (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000 had previously taken an employment break in order to care for children.

Rosie Winterton: Information about employment breaks to care for children is not specifically sought from applicants for judicial office; therefore there are no records available.

Judiciary

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans she has to put in place creche facilities associated with the courts with the aim of encouraging younger women with children to apply for appointment to the judiciary; and what other plans she has to offer such encouragement.

Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor is not aware of a specific demand for such creche facilities. The Lord Chancellor gives general encouragement to women to apply for judicial office. With this in mind, among the initiatives he has introduced are a permanent part-time working facility and flexible part-time sitting arrangements for those who have had career breaks for family reasons. In addition the lower age limits for judicial office are applied flexibly.

Judicial Review

Paul Marsden: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and what proportion of applications for leave to apply for judicial review were (a) heard in court and (b) upheld in the last year for which data are available; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The following information is based on judicial review cases, both civil and criminal, received between 1 October 2000 and 30 September 2001.
	Number of applications received4,554
	Number of substantive applications heard1,176 (as percentage of applications received)25.8 per cent.
	Number of substantive applications allowed607 (as percentage of applications received13.3 per cent.

Hereford Crown Court

John Maples: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he intends to renew the lease on Hereford Crown court; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Court Service has instructed managing agents acting on its behalf to renew both of the two current leases that we hold on accommodation at the Shire Hall, Hereford which expire on 31 December 2001. These negotiations are now proceeding.

TREASURY

Government Debt

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of servicing Government debt in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: As a result of the action this Government have taken to deliver economic stability, such as cutting borrowing, and making the Bank of England independent, Budget 2001 forecast gross debt interest for 200102 to be 23.1 billion, 3.0 billion lower than in 200001.
	The forecast for gross debt interest in 200102 is 4.5 billion lower than the cost of debt interest in 199697 and 6.2 billion lower than in 199798.
	Under the last Government, this was money spent on paying the price of economic failure. Under this Government, money saved on debt interest can now be used to invest in Britain's key public service.

Contingency Fund

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for further allocations to spending Departments from the contingency fund during the remainder of this financial year.

Andrew Smith: The Contingencies Fund is used to advance urgent resources to departments pending approval of the spending through estimates in the normal manner. There are therefore no plans to make allocations from it, as it is not a budgeting concept. Allocations may be made from the Departmental Expenditure Limit Reserve to meet genuinely unforeseen contingencies. Any such resources additional to departmental budgets will be reported to Parliament through the Supplementary Estimates procedure in the normal way.

Terrorist Funds

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is putting in place to tackle the financing of international terrorism.

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the measures taken to cut off the supply of funding to terrorism.

Ruth Kelly: I refer my hon. Friends to the remarks made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8 November 2001, Official Report, columns 397-52.

Third-world Debt

Christine Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the role of the UK in pressing for reductions in third-world debt.

Paul Boateng: The UK has consistently been at the forefront of the international debate on debt relief for the developing countries. The UK pushed for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative to be speeded up, and as a result, 23 countries are now receiving debt relief. These countries will receive $54 billion in debt relief, which will reduce their debts to below the developing country average. The UK's 100 per cent. bilateral policy on debt relief means that it stands ready to write off 1.9 billion of debts for all 42 HIPCs. The Chancellor also announced last December that the UK would hold in trust any payments from those HIPCs yet to receive debt relief. We call on other G7 countries to follow our lead.

Student Loans

Eric Illsley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of student loans.

Andrew Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced in October that she is leading a review of student funding. This will examine the appropriate balance between the contribution made by students, their families and the state to support our ambitions to widen access and participation in higher education.

Banking Services

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in implementing the findings of the Cruickshank report on UK banking.

Ruth Kelly: There have been three recent developments.
	First, the Julius Review Group published in July its report reviewing the banking codes. The Government are now considering the response of the industry to the report's recommendations.
	Second, the Government published their response to consultation on competition in payment systems in August. The Government will bring forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
	Third, the Competition Commission reported to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in October with the findings of its inquiry into the provision of banking services to small and medium sized enterprises. The Government are considering these findings.

Tax and Benefit Integration

Roger Casale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further plans he has to integrate the tax and benefit systems.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to further integration of the tax and benefit system to tackle poverty and to promote incentives to work and save.
	Over the last Parliament a number of reforms were introduced, including the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, the Children's Tax Credit and the Minimum Income Guarantee for Pensioners.
	In the next stage of reform, the Government intend to introduce a new system of tax credits from 2003 which will help to support families, make work pay and tackle child poverty.
	The Pension Credit, also introduced from 2003, will help reward saving, support pensioners on low to modest incomes and tackle pensioner poverty.

NHS Investment

Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from health professionals in the NHS on public investment in health services.

Andrew Smith: I am always interested in the views of health service professionals and receive regular representations on a range of public service issues.

Discount Rate

John Burnett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Treasury discount rate is set at 6 per cent. in real terms.

Andrew Smith: The discount rate is based on several factors, including the cost of public sector capital and the estimated rate of social time preference. The 6 per cent. rate currently recommended was set in 1989 and was derived from the evidence then available. A review is currently under way of the project appraisal and capital appraisal system to ensure it embodies best practice in present circumstances.

Discount Rate

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent analysis his Department has undertaken of the influence on the relative values of public sector comparators and public-private partnership costs of changing the discount rate.

Andrew Smith: The project appraisal and capital approval system used in government is currently under review. However, the rationale for any change in the discount rate would have implications for other parts of the appraisal process, so the overall effect would depend on a combination of these factors.

September 11

Piara S Khabra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to minimise the impact of the terrorist attacks on 11 September and the bombing of Afghanistan on the British economy and business confidence; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government will publish forecasts for the UK economy and the public finances in the forthcoming pre-Budget report, taking into account all developments and influences on prospects.

September 11

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revisions he has made to his estimates for economic growth and tax revenues in 200102 and 200203 following the events of 11 September.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's latest forecasts for the UK and world economies and the public finances were published in Budget 2001 (HC279). Updated forecasts will be presented as part of the forthcoming pre-Budget report.

Productivity

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK economy in terms of productivity.

Paul Boateng: The Government make regular assessments of UK competitiveness and productivity and are committed to increasing UK productivity at a faster rate than that of their major competitors. Budget 2001 gave the most recent assessment of UK productivity, and Government policy in this area was set out in Productivity in the UK: Enterprise and the Productivity Challenge, published in June this year. The forthcoming pre-Budget report will provide a further update on UK productivity relative to our main competitors.

Public-private Partnerships

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from interested organisations regarding public-private partnerships.

Andrew Smith: Treasury Ministers receive representations from various organisations and individuals on a wide range of issues.

Public-private Partnerships

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the viability of future public-private partnership schemes.

Andrew Smith: The Government's approach to public-private partnerships was set out in the Treasury document, Public-private partnerships: the Government's approach, published in March 2000.

Public Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on what recent measures he has taken to promote the improvement of public services.

Andrew Smith: The Government's prudent stewardship of public finances since 1997 has made it possible to provide unprecedented levels of investment for key public services. 43 billion of additional funding has been allocated to Departmental Expenditure Limits by 200304. Three quarters of these increased funds will be spent in the Government's priority areas of health, education, transport, housing and law and order. This investment in public services is tied to commitments by Departments to deliver improved service standards and key reforms, the targets for which are set out in their public service agreements.

Housing Market

Huw Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of the level of interest rates on the housing market.

Ruth Kelly: In August this year mortgage rates averaged 6.0 per cent. This compares with an average of over 11 per cent. during the period 197997. As a result, mortgage interest payments on the average mortgage are now over 1,500 a year lower than if interest rates were still at the levels seen from 197997.

Regional Development Agencies

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent research he has commissioned on the impact of his policies on the economic plans of the Regional Development Agencies.

Andrew Smith: The Regional Development Agencies are key to meeting economic development challenges faced at the regional level. To support their objectives, the RDAs need a stable national macroeconomic environment in which to operate, which we have provided through the national framework of macroeconomic reforms and policies we have implemented since 1997. Within that framework, we have also given RDAs the flexibility and autonomy they need to address regional priorities and deliver economic growth within and between every region.
	To understand more fully the regional impact of national policies, and to ensure that the economic plans of the RDAs can best work within them, the Treasury is supporting through the Evidence-Based Policy Fund a research project, led by DTLR, to identify public expenditure flows into the regions. This project is due to be completed early in 2002.

Single European Currency

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to hold a referendum on joining the single European currency.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's policy on membership of the single currency remains as set out by the Chancellor in October 1997 and restated by the Prime Minster in February 1999. The Government have said they will complete an assessment of the five economic tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. Once the assessment has been completed, the Government will make a decision on UK membership of the single currency. If the Government recommend UK entry, it will be put to a vote in Parliament and then to a referendum of the British people.

Census Returns

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of forms from the (a) 2001 and (b) 1991 Census were returned.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, dated October 2001
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the percentage of forms returned from (a) the 2001 and (b) the 1991 Census (11678).
	The Office for National Statistics presently estimates that the response rate to the 2001 Census in England and Wales will reach 98 per cent. of households. Around 88 per cent. of the estimated number of households returned forms by post, a further seven per cent. were collected by enumerators and possibly three per cent. were vacant dwellings and second homes. We will not know the precise response rates until all the forms have been processed and analysed.
	In the 1991 Census in England and Wales, nearly 98 per cent. of forms for households identified by enumerators as being occupied, were returned.

Charities

Bruce George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent measures he has put in place to help charities.

Paul Boateng: In April 2000 the Government introduced a number of measures to help charities and to encourage greater charitable giving. The Getting Britain Giving package of measures included improvements to the Gift Aid and Payroll Giving schemes and a new income tax relief for giving shares to charities. The Government are supporting The Giving Campaign, led by the charitable sector, to promote the new reliefs and encourage a culture of giving.

Interest Rates

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England regarding interest rates; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor and the Governor meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues. The level of interest rates is a matter for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.

VAT Fraud

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluation he has made of HM Customs and Excise's strategy to tackle trader-based intra-EU VAT fraud.

Paul Boateng: Full details of Customs' strategy to tackle missing trader-based intra-EU VAT fraud will be published at the time of the Pre-Budget report.

Individual Pension Accounts

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 71W, on individual pension accounts, how many individual pension accounts have been taken out to date.

Ruth Kelly: This information is not collected by the Government.

Customs and Excise

Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on HM Customs and Excise proposals to employ staff in mobile anti-smuggling squads; and what assessment he has made of the impact this proposal will have on the port of Poole.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 5 November 2001
	HM Customs and Excise keeps under constant review its resource deployment in the light of risk analysis and results. It has for some time used flexible mobile teams to tackle smuggling around the coast and at ports and airports. Deployment changes are intelligence-led and so designed to achieve the greatest possible impact on smuggling.

Customs and Excise

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were (a) employed in Customs and Excise investigation and fraud teams and (b) engaged in counter-smuggling activities in each year since 1996; and what his estimate is for 2001 and plans for 2002.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 5 November 2001
	For the financial years 199697 to 19992000 the number of Customs' staff employed in Investigation and Anti-smuggling teams were as follows:
	
		
			  Investigation(28) Anti-smuggling 
		
		
			 199697 1,679 2,829 
			 199798 1,783 2,854 
			 199899 1,864 2,872 
			 19992000 1,907 2,877 
		
	
	(28) This includes non-core activity (corporate and support services)
	For 200001 and 200102 Customs were complemented for 3,315 and 3,445 detection staff and 1,864 and 2,101 investigation staff respectively. From 200001 the figures for Investigation no longer include the non-core support services activity.

Broadband Tax Incentives

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the introduction of regional tax incentives for broadband communications in the Objective 1 areas.

Paul Boateng: The Government keep all areas of the tax system under review. The 100 per cent. capital allowances for information and communications technology expenditure by small firms, announced in Budget 2000, include capital expenditure on broadband. These are available in Objective 1 areas as in the rest of the UK.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Parliamentary Questions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason guidance to officials in his Department on drafting replies to parliamentary questions requires them to offer commentary on the motivation of the hon. Member asking the question; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: Civil servants are required to draft answers to parliamentary questions in accordance with the requirements of the Guidance to Officials on Drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions. A copy of the Guidance is in the Library of the House. In addition, more detailed internal guidance is issued to officials in my Department advising them of Minsters' requirements on layout and style. Officials are asked to set out the background to the parliamentary question and, if known, the reason why the question has been asked. Similar guidance has been issued under successive Administrations. Such information can help to ensure that answers provided to hon. Members are relevant to their concerns.

Cabinet Office Properties

Theresa May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the number, value and location of properties newly leased in each of the last five years by the Cabinet Office, including and distinguishing between the Department itself, its next step agencies and its non-departmental public bodies, differentiating between purchases made as a result of the creation of new bodies and those purchases made by established bodies.

Christopher Leslie: Information requested, covering 199697 to 200001 (inclusive) is as follows:
	
		
			 Year/number/location Status Value () 
		
		
			 199697   
			 Number of acquisitions made: 0   
			
			 199798   
			 Number of acquisitions made: 2   
			 England   
			 Basingstoke Core department. Established body 355 
			 Birmingham Executive agency. Established body 3 
			
			 199899   
			 Number of acquisitions made: 0   
			 19992000   
			 Number of acquisitions made: 5   
			 England   
			 London x 2 Core department. Established body 1,648 
			 Manchester NDPB. Established body 341 
			 Scotland   
			 Edinburgh Executive agency. Established body 18 
			 Glasgow NDPB. Established body 54 
			
			 200001   
			 Number of acquisitions made: 2   
			 England   
			 London Core department. Established body x 1. New body x 1 2,527 
		
	
	Notes:
	Unless otherwise stated, the figures shown in the 'value' column comprise rent, service charges and all other accommodation related running costs incurred in 200001.
	Figures exclude VAT.
	Figures in respect of the Government Offices for the Regions and the Regional Co-ordination Unit have been excluded, as these have been included in the Answer already provided by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Failing LEAs

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for each local education authority found to be failing by Ofsted, (a) the date of inspection, of report, and of receipt of action plan by her Department, (b) the date of second inspection, of report, and of receipt of action plan by her Department, (c) the date of subsequent milestone events such as decisions to involve private partners in the management of local education authority services, to award, implement or terminate contracts with private partners, and to assist in or restructure the local education authority and (d) the names of partners to whom contracts have been awarded.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 24 October 2001
	There have been 21 authorities in which the Secretary of State has intervened following a critical Ofsted report. The information requested is contained in tables, which have been placed in the Library.

Primary Schools

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the average funding per pupil provided to (a) primary schools in Cheshire, (b) secondary schools in Cheshire, (c) primary schools in Hertfordshire, (d) secondary schools in Hertfordshire, (e) primary schools in England and (f) secondary schools in England in the last financial year.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is as follows:
	
		 million 
		
			   Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 Cheshire 1,903 2,532 
			 Hertfordshire 1,926 2,639 
			 England 2,010 2,663 
		
	
	The figures do not include School Standards Grant.

GCSE Results

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 100 secondary schools with the worst GCSE examination results in England in order of their performance indicating in each case the responsible local education authority; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 5 November 2001
	The Department will publish 2001 GCSE (and GNVQ equivalent) results for schools in England in the secondary school performance tables on 22 November.
	The White Paper Schools Achieving Success describes the programme of challenge and support designed to ensure that in all schools at least 25 per cent. of pupils should achieve 5 A*-C grades at GCSE (or equivalent) by 2006. Many of the schools currently below this target are working in deprived areas and adding considerable value given the prior attainment of their intake. We are working with schools and LEAs to identify what support is needed to deliver equality of outcome for their pupils.

Local Education Authorities

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the local education authorities which are (a) partly and (b) wholly run by private sector entities; which they are; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 5 November 2001
	There are 10 interventions that involve private sector companies delivering services or functions under contract. The LEAs still remain responsible and accountable for the services in question.
	Intervention authorities where private sector involved in the delivery of services
	Bradford
	Hackney
	Haringey
	Islington
	Leeds
	Sandwell
	Southwark
	Thurrock
	Walsall
	Waltham Forest.

State Schools (Private Firms)

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which state schools in England have had their management taken over by private firms.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 31 October 2001
	None. The legal responsibility for managing a school rests with the governing body and head teacher, even where they are supported by expertise from the private sector.

Free School Meals

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children, on average, were receiving free school meals in (a) specialist schools and (b) other secondary schools in the state sector, on 30 September.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 31 October 2001
	Free school meals data are not available for September.
	The percentages of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in specialist secondary schools and other maintained secondary schools as at January 2001 are 14.7 per cent. and 16.2 per cent. respectively, and in those specialist secondary schools designated between January and October 2001 is 15.9 per cent.

Independent School Fees

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received on her policy relating to the provision of support towards the cost of independent school fees by her Department.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 2 November 2001
	Earlier this year I received representations from the Independent Schools Council and others on proposals for more open access to independent schools. Their proposals sought Government assistance to subsidise the cost of school fees that could not be met by children's parents. However, the Government have a manifesto commitment from 1997 to phase out the Assisted Places Scheme (APS) and to use the available resources to raise standards and enhance opportunities for children in maintained schools. Savings from phasing out the APS are going towards the significant reduction in infant class sizes, as demonstrated in the achievements of the past four years. Any new scheme that would assist relatively few children to attend independent schools would be incompatible with the long-standing commitment to phase out APS.

Teachers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 26 October 2001, Official Report, columns 46970W, on teacher recruitment, what was the allocation of the recruitment and retention fund, 200001 to each local education authority.

Stephen Timms: A press notice (PN 2001/0191) announcing the details of the fund and the allocations to local education authorities was issued on 2 April 2001. A copy can be found on the departmental website www.dfes.gov.uk.

Teachers

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her written answer of 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 461W, on teachers, if she will list the (a) age profile and (b) reasons for leaving of the teachers leaving service in the maintained schools in each of the last four academic years.

Stephen Timms: Qualified full and part-time regular teachers (headcount) who left service in the maintained schools sector in England are as follows:
	
		
			   199697  
			 Age at end of financial year Age retirement Ill-health retirement Premature retirement All retirements Left for reasons other than retirement 
		
		
			 Less than 25 0 (29) 0 (29) 400 
			 25 to 29 0 (29) 0 (29) 3,600 
			 30 to 34 0 (29) 0 (29) 3,300 
			 35 to 39 0 100 0 100 2,600 
			 40 to 44 0 400 0 400 3,200 
			 45 to 49 0 1,200 0 1,200 3,200 
			 50 to 54 0 1,800 4,500 6,300 1,700 
			 55 to 59 (29) 1,100 4,500 5,600 700 
			 60 and over 1,700 100 1,300 3,200 200 
			  
			 Total 1,700 4,800 10,300 16,800 18,900 
		
	
	(29) less than 50
	
		
			   199798  
			 Age at end of financial year Age retirement Ill-health retirement Premature retirement All retirements Left for reasons other than retirement 
		
		
			 Less than 25 0 0 0 0 500 
			 25 to 29 0 (30) 0 (30) 4,100 
			 30 to 34 0 (30) 0 (30) 3,900 
			 35 to 39 0 100 0 100 2,900 
			 40 to 44 0 300 0 300 3,700 
			 45 to 49 0 800 (30) 800 4,200 
			 50 to 54 0 1,300 5,600 6,900 2,300 
			 55 to 59 0 800 4,500 5,200 800 
			 60 and over 1,900 100 1,100 3,100 300 
			  
			 Total 1,900 3,400 11,200 16,600 22,600 
		
	
	(30) less than 50
	
		
			   199899  
			 Age at end of financial year Age retirement Ill-health retirement Premature retirement All retirements Left for reasons other than retirement 
		
		
			 Less than 25 0 0 0 0 500 
			 25 to 29 0 (31) 0 (31) 4,600 
			 30 to 34 0 (31) 0 (31) 4,000 
			 35 to 39 0 (31) 0 (31) 2,900 
			 40 to 44 0 200 0 200 3,300 
			 45 to 49 0 600 0 600 4,100 
			 50 to 54 0 1,000 1,300 2,200 2,800 
			 55 to 59 0 500 1,700 2,100 1,100 
			 60 and over 1,900 100 800 2,900 300 
			  
			 Total 1,900 2,300 3,800 8,000 23,700 
		
	
	(31) less than 50
	
		
			   19992000  
			 Age at end of financial year Age retirement Ill-health retirement Premature retirement All retirements Left for reasons other than retirement 
		
		
			 Less than 25 0 0 0 0 500 
			 25 to 29 0 0 0 0 4,700 
			 30 to 34 0 (32) 0 (32) 4,300 
			 35 to 39 0 (32) 0 (32) 3,400 
			 40 to 44 0 100 0 100 3,500 
			 45 to 49 0 500 (32) 500 4,500 
			 50 to 54 0 1,000 1,300 2,200 3,600 
			 55 to 59 0 600 2,000 2,600 1,400 
			 60 and over 2,300 100 900 3,300 300 
			  
			 Total 2,300 2,300 4,300 8,800 26,200 
		
	
	(32) less than 50
	The totals may not be the sum of the component parts due to rounding.
	The most recent data available are for March 2000.
	The figures exclude 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. of part- time teachers not included on the Teacher Pension Scheme records.
	The reasons for leaving cannot be broken down accurately into any additional categories.
	Some teachers who left service will return subsequently.

Student Statistics

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students there are in the (a) further education and (b) higher education sector.

John Healey: There were 4.2 million students in the FE sector in 19992000. This figure includes funded and non-funded students in FE colleges and funded students in external institutions, specialist designated institutions and higher education institutions. Data for 200001 are not yet available.
	Numbers for students in higher education are as follows:
	
		HE students in England200001(33)
		
			Thousand  
			   Postgraduates Undergraduates Total 
		
		
			 Full-time 136.1 874.5 1,010.6 
			 Part-time 179.4 461.6 641.0 
			  
			 Total 315.5 1,336.1 1,651.6 
		
	
	(33) Provisional
	Note:
	The figures cover HE students in HE and FE institutions, including the Open University.

Student Statistics

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many higher education students are in their (a) first, (b) second, (c) third and (d) fourth of study.

Margaret Hodge: The information is given in the following table.
	
		Higher Education Students in the UK(34)200001
		
			 Year of study Full-time Part-time Total 
		
		
			 1 503.9 285.5 789.4 
			 2 324.6 141.8 466.3 
			 3 253.2 67.2 320.3 
			 4 91.5 40.2 131.7 
			 Other 22.9 71.8 94.7 
			  
			 Total 1,196.0 606.5 1,802.5 
		
	
	(34) Covers all home and overseas postgraduates and undergraduates in HE institutions in the UK.

Higher Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching staff have been employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in higher education in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The available data on the number of teaching staff employed in higher education are given in the table.
	
		Academic Staff in UK Higher Education Institutions
		
			   Full-time Part-time Total 
		
		
			 199596 111,460 15,120 126,580 
			 199697 110,770 16,790 127,570 
			 199798 110,480 17,590 128,080 
			 199899 112,370 18,760 131,140 
			 19992000 113,790 21,960 135,750 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency's Staff Record

Higher Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unfilled vacancies there were in the higher education sector for all grades of lecturer posts in (a) 1995 and (b) 2000.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not held centrally. Individual universities, as employers, are responsible for monitoring their own vacancies.

Higher Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what monitoring is carried out by her Department of the payment by higher education institutions of nationally recommended pay awards.

Margaret Hodge: The higher education employers and trades unions will monitor the implementation of the pay awards they have agreed. The Government do not play a part.

Universities

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) male and (b) female university teachers are aged (i) 20 to 25, (ii) 25 to 30, (iii) 31 to 35, (iv) 36 to 40, (v) 41 to 44, (vi) 45 to 49, (vii) 50 to 54, (viii) 55 to 59, (ix) 60 to 65, (x) 66 to 70 and (xi) 71 years and over.

Margaret Hodge: The available data on age and gender of university staff are given in the table.
	
		Academic staff in UK higher education institutions 19992000
		
			 Age Female Male Total 
		
		
			 2024 1,620 1,520 3,140 
			 2530 9,100 12,110 21,210 
			 3135 8,720 13,710 22,430 
			 3640 7,590 12,120 19,710 
			 4144 5,760 8,780 14,540 
			 4549 6,660 11,170 17,830 
			 5054 5,480 13,000 18,480 
			 5559 2,590 8,690 11,550 
			 6065 870 5,190 6,060 
			 6670 50 390 440 
			 71+ 140 220 360 
			  
			 Total 48,580 87,170 135,750 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency's Staff Record.

Universities

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the (a) recruitment and retention of university staff and (b) total funding figures for universities in England and Wales per university for the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The recruitment and retention of staff is a matter for higher education institutions. However, in England the Government are providing 50 million in 200102, rising to 110 million in 200203 and 170 million in 200304. This is to support the initiatives set out in the human resources strategies which each higher education institution has submitted to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, including measures to promote recruitment and retention and modernisation of reward systems. In Wales, these issues are now a matter for the National Assembly.
	Data on funding for higher education institutes can be found in the Higher Education Statistics Agency publication Resources for higher education institutions copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Teacher Shortages

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the forthcoming allocation of funds to local education authorities for 200203 will be adjusted to reflect cost of living issues and teacher shortages in the south-east.

Stephen Timms: Education standard spending assessments for 200203 will continue to reflect the additional costs faced by local education authorities on the same basis as in 200102.

Specialist Schools

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many specialist schools there were in each local education authority in (a) 1996, (b) 1998 and (c) 2000; and how many there were in each specialty in 2000.

Stephen Timms: The number of operational Specialist Schools, as of 1996, 1998 and 2000, by LEA by specialism, is given in the following tables.
	
		Specialist Schools Number of operational Specialist Schools by LEA by specialism (information given is as of September each year)
		
			 Local education authorities Total secondary schools in LEA  1996 ArtsLanguageSportsTechnologyTotal 
		
		
			 Barking  Dagenham, LB of 81 1 
			 Barnet, LB of 21  1  1 2 
			 Barnsley 14 0 
			 Bath  North East Somerset 13 0 
			 Bedfordshire 17 0 
			 Bexley, LB of 161 1 
			 Birmingham 773 3 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 9 0 
			 Blackpool 8 0 
			 Bolton 161 1 
			 Bournemouth 10 0 
			 Bracknell Forest 6 0 
			 Bradford 271 1 
			 Brent, LB of 13  1  2 3 
			 Brighton and Hove 10 0 
			 Bristol, city of 20 0 
			 Bromley, LB of 17  1  3 4 
			 Buckinghamshire 34  1  1 2 
			 Bury 14 0 
			 Calderdale 151 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 302 2 
			 Camden, LB of 10 0 
			 Cheshire 45  1  1 2 
			 Corporation of London 0 0 
			 Cornwall 312 2 
			 Coventry 191 1 
			 Croydon, LB of 21 0 
			 Cumbria 422 2 
			 Darlington 71 1 
			 Derby, city of 132 2 
			 Derbyshire 471 1 
			 Devon 37  1  1 2 
			 Doncaster 17 0 
			 Dorset 202 2 
			 Dudley 221 1 
			 Durham 361 1 
			 Ealing, LB of 131 1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 18 0 
			 East Sussex 27 0 
			 Enfield, LB of 171 1 
			 Essex 79  1  8 9 
			 Gateshead 101 1 
			 Gloucestershire 42  1  2 3 
			 Greenwich, LB of 131 1 
			 Hackney, LB of 9 0 
			 Halton 7 0 
			 Hammersmith  Fulham, LB of 8 0 
			 Hampshire 71  1  1 2 
			 Haringey, LB of 10 0 
			 Harrow, LB of 10 0 
			 Hartlepool 6 0 
			 Havering, LB of 18 0 
			 Herefordshire 14 0 
			 Hertfordshire 77  3 - 1 4 
			 Hillingdon, LB of 17 0 
			 Hounslow, LB of 14 0 
			 Isle of Scilly 1 0 
			 Isle of Wight 51 1 
			 Islington, LB of 9 0 
			 Kensington  Chelsea, RB of 4 0 
			 Kent 102  1  5 6 
			 Kingston upon Hull, city of 15 0 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames, RB of 10 0 
			 Kirklees 25  1  2 3 
			 Knowsley 11 0 
			 Lambeth, LB of 101 1 
			 Lancashire 87  2  9 11 
			 Leeds 431 1 
			 Leicester City 16 0 
			 Leicestershire 451 1 
			 Lewisham, LB of 12 0 
			 Lincolnshire 634 4 
			 Liverpool 332 2 
			 Luton 12  1  1 2 
			 Manchester 23  1  1 2 
			 Medway 192 2 
			 Merton, LB of 9 0 
			 Middlesbrough 11 0 
			 Milton Keynes 11 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 12  1  2 3 
			 Newham, LB of 152 2 
			 Norfolk 523 3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 12 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 14 0 
			 North Somerset 10 0 
			 North Tyneside 11  1  1 2 
			 North Yorkshire 451 1 
			 Northamptonshire 383 3 
			 Northumberland 15  1  2 3 
			 Nottingham, City of 192 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 501 1 
			 Oldham 15 0 
			 Oxfordshire 352 2 
			 Peterborough, city of 131 1 
			 Plymouth, city of 181 1 
			 Poole 8 0 
			 Portsmouth 10 0 
			 Reading 82 2 
			 Redbridge 172 2 
			 Redcar  Cleveland 111 1 
			 Richmond-u-Thames, LB of 8 0 
			 Rochdale 141 1 
			 Rotherham 171 1 
			 Rutland 31 1 
			 Salford 14 0 
			 Sandwell 191 1 
			 Sefton 221 1 
			 Sheffield 273 3 
			 Shropshire 221 1 
			 Slough 111 1 
			 Solihull 13  1  1 2 
			 Somerset 301 1 
			 South Gloucestershire 14  1   1 
			 South Tyneside 112 2 
			 Southend-on-Sea 12 0 
			 Southampton 14 0 
			 Southwark, LB of 13 0 
			 St. Helens 12 0 
			 Staffordshire 55 0 
			 Stockport 141 1 
			 Stockton on Tees 13 0 
			 Stoke on Trent 171 1 
			 Suffolk 382 2 
			 Sunderland 17 0 
			 Surrey 53  1  6 7 
			 Sutton, LB of 14 0 
			 Swindon 10 0 
			 Tameside 181 1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 132 2 
			 Thurrock 11 0 
			 Torbay 8  1   1 
			 Tower Hamlets, LB of 151 1 
			 Trafford 182 2 
			 Wakefield 181 1 
			 Walsall 20  1   1 
			 Waltham Forest, LB of 17 0 
			 Wandsworth, LB of 91 1 
			 Warrington 12  1  2 3 
			 Warwickshire 371 1 
			 West Berkshire 10  1  1 2 
			 West Sussex 36  1   1 
			 Westminster, LB of 8 0 
			 Wigan 21  1  2 3 
			 Wiltshire 291 1 
			 Windsor  Maidenhead, RB of 9 0 
			 Wirral 231 1 
			 Wokingham 9 0 
			 Wolverhampton 182 2 
			 Worcestershire 29  1   1 
			 York, city of 11 0 
			  
			 Total(35) 3,152  31  146 177 
			 Special Schools  0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Total  0 31 0 146 177 
		
	
	(35) Excluding special schools
	
		Specialist Schools Number of operational Specialist Schools by LEA by specialism (information given is as of September each year)
		
			  Local education authorities 1998 ArtsLanguageSportsTechnologyTotal 2000 ArtsLanguageSportsTechnologyTotal 
		
		
			 Barking  Dagenham, LB of   1 1 2   1 1 2 
			 Barnet, LB of  1  1 2  1 1 1 3 
			 Barnsley 0   1  1 
			 Bath  North East Somerset   1 1 2 1  1 3 5 
			 Bedfordshire 0 11 
			 Bexley, LB of1 11 1 
			 Birmingham5 5 2 1 4 13 20 
			 Blackburn with Darwen1 12 2 
			 Blackpool  1   1 1 1   2 
			 Bolton 0  1 1 1 3 
			 Bournemouth 0 1 1   2 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 0 
			 Bradford   1 1 2  1 2 2 5 
			 Brent, LB of  1  2 3  1  2 3 
			 Brighton and Hove1 1 1   1 2 
			 Bristol, city of1 1 1   1 2 
			 Bromley, LB of  1  3 4  1  3 4 
			 Buckinghamshire  1 1 2 4 1 1 1 2 5 
			 Bury 0 0 
			 Calderdale1 1 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1   2 3 1 1  5 7 
			 Camden, LB of  1  1 2 1 1  2 4 
			 Cheshire  1  2 3  1  4 5 
			 Corporation of London 0 0 
			 Cornwall  1 2 6 9  1 3 5 9 
			 Coventry  1  3 4 1 1  3 5 
			 Croydon, LB of1 11 1 
			 Cumbria  2  3 5  2  4 6 
			 Darlington1 1  1  1 2 
			 Derby, city of1 1 1   1 2 
			 Derbyshire  1  3 4  1  3 4 
			 Devon  1 2 2 5  1 2 3 6 
			 Doncaster 0 0 
			 Dorset2 2  2 1 2 5 
			 Dudley1 11 1 
			 Durham 1 2  3 6 1 2 1 8 12 
			 Ealing, LB of1 1   2 1 3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire2 2  1  3 4 
			 East Sussex   2  2   3 1 4 
			 Enfield, LB of 0 0 
			 Essex  1 1 8 10 1 3 3 9 16 
			 Gateshead 1   1 2 1 1 1 1 4 
			 Gloucestershire  1  5 6  2 1 8 11 
			 Greenwich, LB of 2   2 4 3   2 5 
			 Hackney, LB of2 2  1  3 4 
			 Halton 01 1 
			 Hammersmith  Fulham, LB of 0 11 
			 Hampshire  1  1 2 1 3  2 6 
			 Haringey, LB of1 11 1 
			 Harrow, LB of 0 0 
			 Hartlepool1 1 1   1 2 
			 Havering, LB of1 11 1 
			 Herefordshire1 1 1   1 2 
			 Hertfordshire  4  1 5  5  3 8 
			 Hillingdon, LB of 1 1   2 1 1  1 3 
			 Hounslow, LB of  1  1 2  1  1 2 
			 Isle of Scilly 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight1 1  1  1 2 
			 Islington, LB of 0  1  1 2 
			 Kensington  Chelsea, RB of 0 0 
			 Kent  1  6 7  3 1 6 10 
			 Kingston upon Hull, city of 01 1 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames, RB of 0 0 
			 Kirklees  1 1 3 5  1 1 4 6 
			 Knowsley   1  1  1 1  2 
			 Lambeth, LB of 1   1 2 1   2 3 
			 Lancashire  2  11 13  2  13 15 
			 Leeds 1   1 2 1 1 2 1 5 
			 Leicester City 0  1 1 1 3 
			 Leicestershire   1 5 6 2  1 5 8 
			 Lewisham, LB of 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire4 4 2   6 8 
			 Liverpool5 5  1 1 4 6 
			 Luton  1  1 2 1   1 2 
			 Manchester  1 1 2 4 1 1 2 3 7 
			 Medway2 2  1  2 3 
			 Merton, LB of 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne  1 1 2 4  1 1 5 7 
			 Newham, LB of   1 2 3   1 2 3 
			 Norfolk4 4 1 1 2 6 10 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 1   2 3 
			 North Lincolnshire1 1 1   1 2 
			 North Somerset1 1 1 1  2 4 
			 North Tyneside  1  2 3  1  2 3 
			 North Yorkshire4 4 1   5 6 
			 Northamptonshire 1 2  5 8 1 4 1 6 12 
			 Northumberland  1  3 4  1 1 5 7 
			 Nottingham, city of2 22 2 
			 Nottinghamshire   1 2 3   1 2 3 
			 Oldham 0   1 1 2 
			 Oxfordshire  1  4 5 1 1 1 4 7 
			 Peterborough, city of1 11 1 
			 Plymouth, city of1 1 2 1  3 6 
			 Poole 0 0 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 
			 Reading1 11 1 
			 Redbridge2 2  1  2 3 
			 Redcar  Cleveland1 11 1 
			 Richmond-u-Thames, LB of 0 0 
			 Rochdale  1 1 1 3  1 1 1 3 
			 Rotherham   1 1 2   1 1 2 
			 Rutland1 11 1 
			 Salford 0  1  1 2 
			 Sandwell  1 1 1 3  1 1 1 3 
			 Sefton  1  1 2  1 1 1 3 
			 Sheffield  1  3 4  1  3 4 
			 Shropshire1 11 1 
			 Slough1 11 1 
			 Solihull  1  1 2  1  1 2 
			 Somerset 1   3 4 1 1  5 7 
			 South Gloucestershire  1  1 2  1  2 3 
			 South Tyneside2 22 2 
			 Southend-on-Sea 01 1 
			 Southampton 0 0 
			 Southwark, LB of 0 0 
			 St. Helens 02 2 
			 Staffordshire2 22 2 
			 Stockport  1  1 2  1  1 2 
			 Stockton on Tees 0 1 1 1 1 4 
			 Stoke on Trent 0 11 
			 Suffolk5 5  1  7 8 
			 Sunderland   1  1   1 2 3 
			 Surrey  3  6 9  3  7 10 
			 Sutton, LB of1 11 1 
			 Swindon 0 1   1 2 
			 Tameside1 1 1   1 2 
			 Telford and Wrekin2 22 2 
			 Thurrock 0 0 
			 Torbay  1   1  1   1 
			 Tower Hamlets, LB of 1   1 2 1 1  1 3 
			 Trafford   1 2 3   1 2 3 
			 Wakefield2 2  1  2 3 
			 Walsall  1   1  1  1 2 
			 Waltham Forest, LB of1 12 2 
			 Wandsworth, LB of 1 1  1 3 1 1 2 1 5 
			 Warrington 1 1  1 3 1 1  1 3 
			 Warwickshire2 2 1   4 5 
			 West Berkshire 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 2 5 
			 West Sussex  2  5 7  2 1 5 8 
			 Westminster, LB of 11 11 
			 Wigan 1 1 1 2 5 1 1 1 4 7 
			 Wiltshire5 5 1 1 2 4 8 
			 Windsor  Maidenhead, RB of 0 0 
			 Wirral2 2  1  2 3 
			 Wokingham 0  1   1 
			 Wolverhampton  1  2 3 1 1  3 5 
			 Worcestershire  1   1  1 2 2 5 
			 York, city of2 2  2  2 4 
			 Total(36) 17 57 26 225 325 56 99 65 308 528 
			 Special Schools 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 8 
			 Total 17 57 26 225 325 57 99 67 313 536 
		
	
	(36) Excluding special schools

Special Educational Needs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his answer of 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 711W, on special educational needs, what written responses she has received since 23 October about the further revision of the draft SEN code document.

Stephen Timms: The Secretary of State has received a letter dated 29 October from the organisation Spearhead (Special Education at Home).
	The Department has also received two letters from hon. Members, both dated 26 October, enclosing correspondence from constituents which appears to refer to the earlier draft of the Code placed before Parliament in June, rather than the latest version.

Fast Food and Drinks

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her policy on the provision of fast food and drinks machines in school corridors.

Stephen Timms: It is for local education authorities and schools in England to determine whether or not there should be any provision for fast food and drinks machines in school corridors.

Publications (Charges)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the publications provided by her Department and the National Centre for Literacy and Numeracy where charges will be levied on schools for the making of (a) overhead transparencies and (b) enlarged copies; and if she will state the level of income received from schools as a result.

Stephen Timms: The licensing for the copying of extracts from published texts is the responsibility of the Copyright Licensing Agency. The new licence for schools, which took effect from April 2001, automatically includes permission to make overhead transparencies and enlarged copies. There is no requirement for schools to make any separate payment for this or to report such copying.
	Publications produced by the National Centre for Literacy and Numeracy on behalf of the Department may be copied free of charge by schools.

Secondary Schools (Norfolk)

Gillian Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which secondary schools in Norfolk had unfilled teacher posts at the latest available date.

Stephen Timms: This information is not collected centrally.

Secondary Schools (Norfolk)

Gillian Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which secondary schools in Norfolk had no spare capacity to admit new pupils at the latest available date.

Stephen Timms: My Department does not collect detailed information on this. It is for local education authorities to plan and keep under review the supply of school places and to ensure that there are sufficient school places. Each year LEAs must publish a School Organisation Plan which sets out how they plan to deal with any surplus or deficit of school places over a rolling five year period.
	Where an LEA can demonstrate overall growth in the need for places it may apply to the Department for capital funding.

Pupils (Assaults)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the cases of (a) state primary and (b) state secondary school teachers who have been (i) suspended and (ii) convicted for assault on pupils since the abolition of corporal punishment.

Stephen Timms: The Department does not collect this information.

Schools Reorganisation (Merton)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress by the schools reorganisation programme in the London borough of Merton towards its completion date of September 2002. [R]

Stephen Timms: The responsibility for the implementation of statutory proposals for school reorganisation rests with local education authorities. Merton local education authority is implementing the reorganisation of schools in the borough from a three to a two-tier system in stages over the academic years 200102 to 200304, with the new structure effectively in place from September 2002. Officials of the Department are providing support as necessary to the school reorganisation programme and, as recently as 5 November, had a meeting with Merton officers to discuss progress.

Funding (Music)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria her Department uses to allocate varying levels of support from the Music Standards Fund to local education authorities.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Music Standards Fund allocations in the current financial year are largely based on the levels established in 200001. This is to honour our formal commitment to ensuring that no LEA would receive less money through the Music Standards Fund in 200102 than in 200001. We also pledged to ensure that no LEA would be required to increase the level of its own match-funded contribution in 200102.
	The original MSF formula (from which this year's allocations are drawn) was introduced in the second year of the Music Standards Fund. It is made up of three main parts:
	an allocation based on each LEA's section 122 return which was intended to protect music services at pre-Music Standards Fund levels,
	an allocation based on bids made by individual LEAs in 19992000 for expanding their existing music services,
	an allocation based on our assessment of the need in each authority. 'Need' in this context was assessed in terms of the number of pupils in each authority, weighted to take account of socio-economic indicators for deprivation.

Funding (Music)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the amount allocated to local education authorities for Music Standards Fund grants in 200102 will be paid in full.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 6 November 2001
	In general, the Music Standards Fund grant is match-funded. For some LEAs support is provided at 100 per cent. and no match-funding is required. Where match-funding is required the LEAs need to make a contribution if they are to receive DfES grant.
	All LEAs required to do so have agreed to make their contributions and so they, together with those funded at 100 per cent., will receive the full grant.
	LEAs may retain any grant that remains unspent at the end of the year.

School Provision (Hackney)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions her Department has had with the Commission for Racial Equality, with regard to the trust which is to run schools in Hackney.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 6 November 2001
	None on this matter, but there is of course regular communication between my Department and the Commission for Racial Equality across the range of education policy issues.

Skills Councils

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations her Department has identified to be approached as possible trailblazer sector skills councils; and what discussions her Department has held with each organisation.

John Healey: The Department has not approached any organisations about becoming a trailblazer sector skills council. Officials discussed this and other aspects of the sector skills council policy informally with organisations that contacted the Department. These meetings were without commitment by either party. On 2 November I wrote to national training organisations and trade associations inviting them to consider whether they would be interested and able to meet the rigorous requirements for becoming a trailblazer.

Further Education (Lecturers)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to bring further education lecturers' pay into line with that of teachers; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: It is for each college to agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with its staff in the context of the overall resources available to them. We are, however, aware of the funding gap between schools and FE and have pledged to bring up levels of funding and allow upwards convergence over time.
	This year alone, an additional 527 million is available for FE, a 12 per cent. real terms increase on last year. Funding will increase again next year by a further 3 per cent. This compares with the period between 199394 and 199697 when FE funding per FTE student fell by 12 per cent. in real terms.
	As part of the planned increases, we are investing more than 300 million in the Teaching Pay Initiative during the next three years to allow colleges, including sixth form colleges, to reward high quality teaching. This is separate from any general pay rise a teacher may receive.

Further Education (Lecturers)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to discourage the practice of employing lecturers on a part-time basis in further education colleges; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: None. The recruitment and terms and conditions of staff in general further education and sixth form colleges are matters for college corporations and management to determine in consultation with the relevant unions.
	It is only right that colleges have the flexibility to determine the number of full-time and part-time staff they employ in line with local needs and circumstances.

Further Education (Lecturers)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has evaluated into the effects of part-time lecturers' employment on support offered to students at further education colleges; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Approximately two thirds of college lecturers work part-time. The Further Education National Training Organisation report An analysis of the part-time lecturing staff in further education colleges in England and Wales (July 2000) states that 25 per cent. of part- time staff offer extra-curricular assistance to students. In his last report, for 19992000, the Further Education Funding Council's Chief Inspector reported that 66 per cent. of colleges have good or outstanding support for students in place. He went on to say that this aspect of cross-college provision continues to attract a higher proportion of grades 1 and 2 than any other. From the available evidence, colleges in general continue to provide effective student support while employing staff on both part-time and full-time contracts.

Advanced Skills Teachers

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many advanced skills teachers there are in each local education authority; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Advanced Skills Teachers (AST) in post in each local authority in January 2001 and the number of teachers who have passed assessment for the AST grade since assessments resumed in May 2001 are as follows:
	
		
			 Local authority ASTs in post at January 2001 Teachers passing AST assessment (May-September 2001) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 0 
			 Barnet 10 8 
			 Barnsley 0 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 3 0 
			 Bedfordshire 2 12 
			 Bexley 0 2 
			 Birmingham 19 2 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 0 
			 Blackpool 0 1 
			 Bolton 7 5 
			 Bournemouth 6 1 
			 Bracknell Forest 2 0 
			 Bradford 2 0 
			 Brent 0 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 0 
			 Bristol, City of 0 0 
			 Bromley 24 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 3 0 
			 Bury 0 0 
			 Calderdale 2 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 2 
			 Camden 0 1 
			 Cheshire 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Cornwall 7 2 
			 Coventry 3 0 
			 Croydon 6 2 
			 Cumbria 11 9 
			 Darlington 6 0 
			 Derby 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 7 2 
			 Devon 3 2 
			 Doncaster 2 0 
			 Dorset 2 0 
			 Dudley 0 0 
			 Durham 4 0 
			 Ealing 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 
			 East Sussex 2 10 
			 Enfield 2 0 
			 Essex 49 16 
			 Gateshead 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 14 17 
			 Greenwich 2 4 
			 Hackney 0 0 
			 Halton 1 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1 0 
			 Hampshire 0 5 
			 Haringey 0 0 
			 Harrow 0 0 
			 Hartlepool 0 1 
			 Havering 0 0 
			 Herefordshire 6 6 
			 Hertfordshire 11 3 
			 Hillingdon 3 9 
			 Hounslow 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 1 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 Islington 0 1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 
			 Kent 30 16 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 4 1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 
			 Kirklees 1 1 
			 Knowsley 0 0 
			 Lambeth 3 4 
			 Lancashire 13 1 
			 Leeds 7 43 
			 Leicester 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 2 1 
			 Lewisham 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 15 23 
			 Liverpool 0 0 
			 Luton 3 0 
			 Manchester 4 1 
			 Medway 2 0 
			 Merton 0 1 
			 Middlesbrough 2 0 
			 Milton Keynes 1 2 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 0 1 
			 Newham 13 4 
			 Norfolk 3 3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 4 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 4 
			 North Somerset 0 0 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 7 6 
			 Northamptonshire 18 3 
			 Northumberland 1 0 
			 Nottingham 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 7 5 
			 Oldham 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire 21 1 
			 Peterborough 13 2 
			 Plymouth 7 6 
			 Poole 0 0 
			 Portsmouth 3 0 
			 Reading 1 0 
			 Redbridge 0 2 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3 2 
			 Rochdale 6 0 
			 Rotherham 0 0 
			 Rutland 0 0 
			 Salford 0 0 
			 Sandwell 0 2 
			 Sefton 5 0 
			 Sheffield 0 0 
			 Shropshire 6 1 
			 Slough 6 5 
			 Solihull 3 0 
			 Somerset 8 8 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 4 0 
			 Southampton 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 6 5 
			 Southwark 0 0 
			 St. Helens 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 
			 Stockport 0 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 4 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 
			 Suffolk 1 1 
			 Sunderland 0 12 
			 Surrey 0 0 
			 Sutton 0 3 
			 Swindon 1 0 
			 Tameside 5 3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1 0 
			 Thurrock 5 4 
			 Torbay 5 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 0 
			 Trafford 0 1 
			 Wakefield 0 0 
			 Walsall 6 0 
			 Waltham Forest 3 0 
			 Wandsworth 7 5 
			 Warrington 7 8 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Berkshire 2 1 
			 West Sussex 6 7 
			 Westminster 13 2 
			 Wigan 2 1 
			 Wiltshire 3 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 1 
			 Wirral 1 0 
			 Wokingham 5 5 
			 Wolverhampton 3 0 
			 Worcestershire 7 2 
			 York 12 21 
			  
			 Totals 563 362 
		
	
	The number of AST assessments between May and September 2001 is equal to 64 per cent. of the January figure of ASTs in post, reflecting the rapidly growing number of teachers interested in becoming ASTs. The Government are committed to the continuing expansion of the AST grade.

Schools

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will make a statement on her plans for further public investment in schools.

Stephen Timms: This Government are investing unprecedented sums to modernise schools. Since 1997, annual capital and recurrent investment in schools has increased by almost 5.5 billion in real terms, from 20.6 billion to over 26 billion. Our plans allow for a further real terms increase of 2.5 billion over the next two years.

Teacher Training

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in Northamptonshire, have been granted funding for teacher training, indicating in each case their (a) phase and (b) location.

Stephen Timms: The following schools have been granted funding to act as recommending bodies for trainees on the Graduate and Registered Teacher Programmes (GRTP) in Northamptonshire since September 2000:
	
		
			 School name Phase Town 
		
		
			 Magdalen School Secondary Brackley 
			 Lodge Park Technical College Secondary Corby 
			 Brooke Western CTC Secondary Corby 
			 St. James Infant School Primary Daventry 
			 Trinity School Secondary Northampton 
			 Mereway Upper School Secondary Northampton 
			 Northampton School for Boys Secondary Northampton 
			 Headlands School Primary Northampton 
			 Prince William School Secondary Oundle 
			 Ferrer School Secondary Rushden 
			 Rushden School Secondary Rushden 
			 Wrenn School Secondary Wellingborough 
		
	
	In addition, the following organisations have received funding to train GRTP trainees in schools in Northamptonshire since September 2000.
	Centre for British Teachers (CfBT)
	Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT)
	Northampton LEA
	Northamptonshire Teacher Training Partnership SCITT.
	There are two initial teacher training school-based consortia in Northamptonshire, based at:
	
		
			 Lead school  Phase Location 
		
		
			 Sponne School Secondary Towcester 
			 Northampton School for Boys Secondary Northampton 
		
	
	University College Northampton also offers primary ITT in partnership with local primary schools. School involvement in teacher training changes from year to year and there is no central list of the schools involved.
	As to in-service training, the flexibility within the Standards Funds arrangements should enable schools to meet the key priorities for professional development; it is for schools to decide how much money they spend from the Standards Funds on this area.

Further Education

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many individual courses have been (a) commenced and (b) completed in further education each year since 199798.

John Healey: The information requested is contained in the table:
	
		Total number of qualifications: starts and completions for council-funded provision in FE sector colleges
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199798  
			 Starts in the academic year 4,716,573 
			 Completions in the academic year 3,932,800 
			   
			 199899  
			 Starts in the academic year 4,497,223 
			 Completions in the academic year 3,599,593 
			   
			 19992000  
			 Starts in the academic year 4,463,154 
			 Completions in the academic year 3,581,458 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data are taken from the Individualised Student Record (ISR)
	2. Starts and completions figures are based on a different student cohorti.e. enrolments that start in a particular year do not necessarily end in the same year
	The Learning and Skills Council recently published data on retention rates which are based on qualifications over the whole length of the course, which includes those courses that are longer than one year. Using this definition, the retention rates are as follows:
	199798: 85 per cent.;
	199899: 84 per cent.; and
	19992000: 84 per cent.

Further Education

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the cost was of the Further Education Funding Council (a) for all purposes and (b) for administration in the last year of its operation;
	(2)  what grants were made to training and enterprise councils (a) for all purposes, (b) for further education and (c) for administration in the last year of their operation;
	(3)  what the budget is of the Learning and Skills Councils (a) at national level and (b) at local level for (i) all purposes and (ii) administration (A) in the current year and (B) in the coming year.

John Healey: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has taken on a range of functions previously carried out by a number of bodies, including the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), 72 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), Government Offices, and the National Advisory Council on Education and Training Targets (NACETT), as well as new work. For the latest year for which we have robust estimates available (19992000), our assessment is that the total spent on administration by the predecessor bodies, in relation to the relevant functions, was between 270 and 280 million.
	The LSC's resource budget nationally for the financial year 20012002 is 5.5 billion. Of this, local LSCs have so far been allocated 4.955 billion. The LSC anticipates that the majority of the currently unallocated total funds will be directed to local LSCs during the remainder of the financial year. The LSC has been allocated 188 million for administration, of which 144 million has been allocated to local LSCs.
	These amounts increase in 20022003 to 7.4 billion in total (which includes programme funding of 1.35 billion funding for sixth forms) and 193 million for administration. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures to local level, because the LSC has not yet allocated next year's budget to local LSCs.
	We do not yet have final expenditure details for further education in 200001. Planned total funding for the FEFC for all purposes in 200001 was 3,530 million, excluding student support funds and employer contributions, of which 27 million was for administration.
	In 20002001, the last year of TECs' contracts with Government, the DfES paid them a total of 1,270 million for all purposes in cash terms. There were no specific grants to them for further education. No specific amount was set aside for administration within this figureit was up to individual TECs to allocate their overall budget according to need. However, we know from the most recent consolidated TEC accounts, that TECs spent over 260 million in total on staffing in 19992000.